Youth
by Guardian of Heart
Summary: [Modern!AU: HiJack] Jack lives next door to the Haddock family who recently moved in. He meets their only son, Henrik, who he nicknames Hiccup and befriends. They surpass a great deal of hardships, and over the years, their friendship blossoms and flourishes into something more.
1. Enter the Haddocks

**Author's Note: **Um… hi there!This is kind of my first multi-chapter Fanfiction, and my one of my first endeavors at writing HiJack. I shipped it ironically and _here I am_. Alright. I'll stop blabbering and get to the good stuff. The only real warning I have about this story is the pace. Things go pretty slow (as life often feels) but time does skip around between chapters – I'm trying to avoid _major _time skips, so they'll never be too painful. I'll be sure to put markers at the start of the chapters reminding you how old they are/what grade they're in. (First chapter excluded from that; it should be explained well enough.) If there's any confusion, please inbox me! I'll be sure to make things clearer if something came across a little strangely.

As a quick little side note, North's name is his canon name in the books: Nicholas North. Jack and Emma's last name is Overland, but North has adopted them so it's not used often.

**Basic Overview: **The Overland family has been living in the same house for years, and up until now the house next door has been vacant. When the Haddock family moves in next door, Jack Overland meets the Haddock's only son – Henrik. The two become unlikely friends and grow up together, surpassing a great deal of hardships. Over the years, their friendship blossoms and flourishes into something more.

**Point of View: **3rd person: Generally speaking, Jack is the main protagonist. His perspective is probably going to be explored in more depth. (I say probably in the event that something changes as I write things; a majority of this is planned out but I'm working out certain things!)

**Warnings: **(Updated each chapter) Implied death.

* * *

**Chapter One: "Enter the Haddocks"**

**August**

* * *

Jack dreamt of a familiar darkness.

Jack remembered the eerie silence of that night and the crash of waves and crackle of floor boards and that _horrid _urgency that coursed through him. He remembered clutching his sister's infant form close to his chest and using the walls for leverage as he rode against the current. He remembered fumbling to keep her surfaced even while he sunk and rose beneath the water, and that _bitter_, salty taste that tried to force itself down his throat with every crash. He remembered calling for a mother, for a father, for _someone _to help his sister and he.

He remembered feeling… _sorrow _when the waves finally fled, and the chorus of sirens that crescendoed down the dampened streets. He remembered the confusion. He remembered crying, but never _why._

The memory was scattered in his mind; like broken shards of glass on the floor he found a new fragment with every blind step he took toward remembering. Some nights would bring him large, unnecessary recollections of unbridled_ terror_ of while others spared him more merciful details on the events of that night that felt _so _long ago. Jack was only… 4 back then. Or perhaps he was older. Younger? Ugh. His head swam. The young boy huffed, clutching his pillow tight in his hands as the comfort of consciousness embraced him. The memory was already gone, faded into a dull throb of fear that held no context.

_Just another bad dream_, he reminded himself. _A useless nightmare._

He flicked on his nightstand lamp and breathed heavily, letting his eyes hurriedly skim across his room to soak in reality. Jack let his head fall a bit, his nose pressing into his pillow carefully as he caught his breath. Warmth returned to his suddenly _cold _body and he wiggled his toes, letting them peak out from under his comforter with a giggle. His stuffed bunny beside him wiggled with every subtle gesture.

Jack Overland let his eyes wander to his window, and watched thin rays of moonlight protrude the remaining darkness of the room. He brushed his fingers through is chocolate brown hair and delicately tip-toed to the window. Every movement was slight as he flicked off the light and made his way over, careful not to make too much noise; he'd _hate _to wake up Emma or North this late at night. And as he reached the window and perched himself on the sill, he let his thin lips curve into a smile as he glanced upward.

Just above him, the full moon smiled in the night sky. Never had North's stories become more relevant to him than they had at that very moment. Jack hugged his knees close to his body and let his temple rest against the cool glass as he gazed, eyes locked on the astral wonder watching him from the sky.

_You must not be afraid, Jack_, North had said in that thick, Russian accent of his. He'd patted Jack's back during his first nightmare attack and simply smiled. _Nightmares are useless dreams. But Man in Moon will always watch over you, and help chase bad dreams away. _

The thought lulled young Jack into a state of comfort. North had always been good at storytelling, even since the very day he adopted Emma and Jack. He convinced Jack that their house was full of wonder and excitement, despite how dull and melancholically shy the boy was initially feeling. He gave Jack a room he claimed belonged to a great king, and Emma the room of his princess. And every night, just before he fell asleep, North would tuck Jack and Emma into their respective beds and tell them the tales of the great Guardians. He wove these tales of adventure and heart-break around the simplest of ideas, filling Jack's dejected mind buzzing with excitement and curiosity.

But his favorite was the story of the Man in the Moon. The Guardian from above who – according to North – chased away the fearful darkness of the sky with his light and always had his eye on the children of the world. Maybe it was silly, but North's stories always brought Jack a certain kind of… _comfort_. A wonderful new perspective on life.

And as he gazed with wonder at the moon in the sky shining brightly down on him, Jack felt the gentle beckon of sleep call to him. He slouched back, letting his knees bend and his toes curl around the window's frame as he shut his eyes and drifted away.

He dreamt sweeter dreams in the moonlight.

* * *

"Jack! Jack! Wake up!"

The young brunette rolled to his side a bit, confused as to why he was laying comfortably against his mattress, but too tired to care. Beside him, Emma bounced up and down with excitement and shook Jack's arm hurriedly.

"Come _on _Jack, get up!" she whined, tugging his arm back. Jack groaned in response, clinging to his pillow with his other arm and clenching his eyes shut.

"Emma, 5 more minutes…" he mumbled, fumbling between coherency and the groggy allure of slumber.

The shaking stopped. He shifted a bit to peek over his shoulder. "Fine! Then I'm eating your share of waffles this morning."

Jack's eyes snapped wide-open, the word 'waffle' clicking the awake-button in his brain. "North made waffles?"

"Sure did! Dad made a whole _stack_ of 'em!" She giggled, crossing her arms and shutting her eyes in triumph. "But none for sleepy Jacks!"

Jack sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes tiredly before yawning and stretching his arms. He swung his legs over the side of the bed, letting them dangle for a moment before hopping down onto the carpet. He stumbled around a bit dramatically, peeking over at Emma every once in a while as she giggled at his actions. "Fine, fine, you win. I give up!"

She smiled triumphantly.

"We'd better not keep him waiting." He grinned widely at her and scooped her up into his arms. "All aboard!"

The young boy laughed loudly, hanging onto her small frame tightly as he sped down the hallway. Emma giggled, tugging on his shirt playfully as he waddled down the stairs. Each step bounced her, and the speed threw her hair all over her face. As Jack spun the corner and they neared the kitchen, Jack swung her in circles a few times before setting her down on the floor.

"You made me _dizzy_, Jack!" she whined, wobbling a bit with each step. Jack simply chuckled, watching her fumble to walk for a moment with an amuse smile. He panted a bit, trying to catch his breath.

"Sure did. Gives me a head start on those waffles!" he laughed, taking slow strides toward the kitchen. Jack chuckled when he heard Emma whine behind him.

She pouted, jutting out her bottom lip before crossing her arms. "No fair! That's a mean trick!"

"Alright, alright fine." Jack sighed. He pattered her head lovingly and kneeled in front of her. "You get first dibs, then."

The young girl smiled widely, and Jack brushed her long, brunette bangs from her face. Once her forehead was bare, he kissed it lightly and took a good look at her. Emma was growing, in more ways than one. Her hair fell to the middle of her back, stick-straight, thick, and tangled from a good night's sleep. Her once chubby, baby-like face was slowly gaining definition, too. The beginning of a chin showed at the bottom of her jaw, and her cheeks weren't as bulbous as they were last year. When Jack stood, he took note of her height; the top of her head just barely reached the middle of his neck. He frowned. Emma was getting taller.

Jack patted her head, letting his fingers part her hair as neatly as he could manage. "You know, if you keep growing like that you'll be too big for me to carry soon."

"Not a chance!" Emma stood on her tip-toes and giggled, telling Jack, "I grew a _whole _inch last night!"

"An inch? Yeah _right_!"

She whined, nudging his arm. "It's really true, Jack! Dad said that I might grow up to be taller than _you!_" She puffed out her chest and put her hands on her hips proudly. "Soon _you'll _be the shorty!"

Jack rolled his eyes and ruffled her hair. He strided toward the kitchen. "Dream on, squirt."

"Morning, North."

The large man behind the counter turned to face them, a widened smile stretched across his face and his hands held two large plates of waffles. "Good morning, little ones!" he cheered, placing the plates on the table. "You slept well, no?"

Jack kept quiet as Emma bounced in her seat excitedly. "Oh! Oh! I dreamt I was a princess, and there was a dragon and an ice wizard and a knight and it was _really cool!_" she giggled, smiling jubilantly. North chuckled deeply and lifted her up, spinning her small body around in the air before kissing her cheek and setting her back down in her seat.

"That is hardly dream, Emma; you are princess already." He smiled down at Jack and ruffled his hair playfully. Jack grinned. The three of them sat at the table and tugged a few waffles onto their plates.

Mornings were usually like this. North tended to be an early riser, so Jack and Emma were always greeted to his morning shenanigans when they woke up. Sometimes they'd catch him while he was making breakfast, or on rarer occasions catch him doing something silly. Jack remembered that on his first Easter, he couldn't sleep so at one in the morning he crept downstairs, and ended up finding North sleep-walking around the house (or at least he _thought _he was sleep walking) humming Jingle Bells. He never said anything about it, but to this _day _it makes him laugh.

But every morning the three of them would eat breakfast together and talk about nonsensical dreams or what happened at school depending on the time of year. North would make them special breakfasts on the holidays and weekends, while during the week Emma and Jack settled on a bowl of Lucky Charms.

"So what's the occasion?" Jack asked as he drenched his waffles in syrup. "You _never _make waffles."

Emma slid her plate over to North and he cut a waffle into a bite-sized pieces. He generously poured syrup on the dish's side and passed it back to her. "Good eye, Jack; I have news!"

"What kind of news?" Jack asked, peeking over at his sister curiously. She shrugged.

"The house next door finally sold," North began. "And a family will be moving in at the end of the week."

Jack pouted a bit and shoveled a chunk of waffle into his mouth. Neighbors? Ugh. Jack didn't want to have to deal with neighbors. Neighbors would get in the way of all the fun things Jack liked about their life right now: they lived in a family dependent on communication and constant _noise_. The house was never quiet; they yelled across rooms when they were too lazy to get up; Jack and Emma played in the yard and ran around the house while they played, filling the halls with a symphony of footsteps; sometimes North would have music blasting from his study while he was working. And that wasn't even the best part. They had a habit of throwing these _insane _parties around the holidays, with a list of guests that ran miles long and boisterous music echoing through the house. You wouldn't think it, but North was a pretty popular man; every year _more _people would end up coming to the parties and every year Jack wondered how the heck they'd fit everyone in the house. Their Christmas parties were the craziest, though. One time, North got a complaint from someone _three blocks away_. It was pretty nuts, and Jack could never forget that night.

But neighbors? Gross. They'd have to turn down all the fun they usually had to appease a bunch of strangers. Where was the fun in that?

He huffed, shoveling the last piece of his waffle into his mouth before standing up and placing his dish in the sink. "Does this mean we have to start being quieter and more… I dunno, _normal?_"

North laughed and the sound rumbled through the room like a tremor. "Don't worry, little one. Nothing will change." He patted the boy's head and took a swig of his milk before waddling out of the kitchen to his study. "I trust you two will be fine if I go to work, yes?"

Emma nodded with her mouth full of waffles and a smile across her face. Jack chuckled and threw him a lazy nod. And when they finished up, Jack washed the dishes and Emma dried them. The two of them put them away shortly after; Jack lifted Emma up to put away the dishes on the higher shelve. They watched the Lion King while the food settled in their tummies shortly after, and Jack would sing along to some of the songs and Emma would giggle, swat his face, and joke about how Jack was a bad singer. And in the afternoon, they wiggled out of their pajamas and into their play-clothes before hurrying outside for a game of hopscotch. Like always, Jack would blatantly cheat and Emma would call him out on it; they'd bicker and giggle and play for hours until North called them back inside for dinner. After dinner, the three of them would watch cartoons for a while before Jack and Emma took their baths, brushed their teeth, and headed to bed.

It was a summer routine they'd fallen into by accident, but found so comfortable they never failed to follow it.

The only notable difference was the dreadful anticipation settling in the back of Jack's mind. Day after day, as the end of the week neared, he grew curious about the new neighbors. What kind of people would they be? Would they be stuffy and boring? Exotic and strange? Jack was trying hard not to focus on it; the more he thought about it, the more curious he got. But when Emma brought it up, his mind couldn't help but wander.

Friday didn't come fast enough. Jack usually loved the summer, and was careful about cherishing each day of wondrous heat. Yet it seemed the dreadful excitement of waiting for the neighbors to come made it easier for him to wish time away. Tuesday would _not _end. Jack woke up that morning to the drab pitter-patter of rain against the roof beneath his window. The two of them had resorted to watching cartoons in the den for the day and overall it was… well, not _boring_ per say, but dreary to say the least. Wednesday and Thursday were dreadfully typical; the only real highlight of the two days was when North had taken them to get ice cream down the road, and when he went to take a bite, a spoonful of Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream fell onto his beard. Emma wouldn't stop laughing and Jack was in hysterics.

And then Thursday night came; the night Jack decided to break the rules a little.

Since the day he'd gotten there, Jack had been warned to stay off the roof. And normally you'd think, "Wow that's really stupid; how would a 9-year-old kid manage to climb on top of the house?" but that wasn't exactly the case. See, most kids live in these cute little houses with _one _rooftop that boxed them in. But Jack? Nope. Jack got an entire flat of roof _just _beneath his window sill. Yes sir, he was cursed with this _marvelous _slanted slab of temptation just beneath his window and a matching curiosity that gnawed at him inside. Now don't get me wrong: it wasn't that North didn't trust him (the man loved him like his own son), rather he was fearful the boy would fall off or hurt himself. Jack understood why he was worried and told him he wouldn't play up there like the obedient son he was.

But somehow… tonight was different. Tonight, the moon was waning and its light shined down just as magnificently as it had on Monday. It was the night before things changed, and the night that Jack couldn't sleep as he pondered if that was a blessing or a plague on his house.

He peeked out his window, looking down at the roof not too far beneath the sill. The house next door had a slanted roof that nearly met his, and – well, go figure – a bedroom window just above it. When he squinted his eyes and looked really closely, Jack could barely make out the two visible corners of the room. It _seemed _modestly sized; it wasn't as spacious as Jack's humble abode, and sort of reminded him of his sister's room (pink walls and posters aside) in terms of dimension. It sort of made him curious, beginning a flourish of thoughts; what kind of person would stay in that room? What color would the walls be next year, and would they hang up any posters? Would it be a boy or a girl, or just a forgotten space in the house?

_I guess I'll find out tomorrow, _Jack thought to himself, still fumbling to accept or object the idea of a having neighbors.

His attention turned to his own roof. As if to make sure it was really there, Jack glanced around his room before experimentally placing a foot against the surface. It felt so _wrong _to disobey North, but he was a little excited to sit on the roof. He placed his other foot and shifted his weight, ducking under the indoor barrier, and finally allowing himself to stand on the roof. Jack smiled to himself proudly and looked up at the moon as if to seek its approval. The darkness curved around the moon's rounded edge, obscuring it so that the only shine came from its now visible crescent. Jack was beaming from ear-to-ear.

And for a brief moment, it felt like the Man in the Moon was smiling down at him too.

* * *

Jack remembered hearing the whir of the moving truck that morning.

As he sat up in his bed and slowly shifted into consciousness, he listened closely for the crunch of gravel against asphalt when they pulled in. He was both delighted and horrified to hear just that, as well as the echo of one, two, _three_ car doors opening and slamming shut again. Jack practically leaped from his bed to peek out his window, hoping to catch a glimpse but to no avail; the oak tree curiously perched in his front yard obscured his view slightly.

But no matter. It was time to get up.

The young brunette boy strided over to his dresser, skimming through neatly folded piles of clothes before picking out his favorite blue t-shirt and a loose pair of brown cargo shorts. He threw them on lethargically and began down the hallway, tapping on Emma's door before entering her bright, pink room. Emma was sitting on the floor with her favorite doll in her hands. She smiled at Jack. "Morning, Jack!"

"Morning, Emma." He smiled back warmly, kneeling down beside her. He pressed a light kiss to his sister's forehead and glimpsed down at her. "The neighbor's just got here, ya' know."

She bounced a bit, mouth forming an 'O' as she gasped excitedly. "Really?! Did you wake up Dad?"

"Did I wake up North?" Jack laughed, playfully nudging her in the arm. "What kind of a question is that? He's _always _awake before us! He's probably waiting for us right now, so get dressed, wouldja?"

Emma nodded and shooed him out, closing the door behind him with a loud thump. Jack began his descend for the kitchen and when he swung the corner, North was nowhere in sight. He shrugged it off and got himself a glass of orange juice, the excitement sort of killing his hunger this morning. Just above the kitchen, he heard little footsteps scurry down the hallway and smiled as he noticed Emma making her way down the stairs. "Where's Dad?" she asked as she stepped into the kitchen.

Jack shrugged. "Maybe he's in his study or something."

"Hmm…" Emma balled her fist for a minute and pressed it to her chin. She scurried out of the kitchen and passed the living room until Jack couldn't see her anymore. When she came back, she had a confused look on her face. "I didn't see him in there, either."

"No? Huh." Jack murmured, taking a swig of his orange juice. Emma grabbed her step stool and fixed herself a bowl of cereal while Jack simply poured himself another glass of juice. They sat at the table, idly chatting about nothing in particular until the front door burst open loudly. (In all honesty, Jack may have jumped a little.)

"My apologies, little ones!" North's voice called from the living room. "I was helping the neighbors with some boxes off the truck."

Emma and Jack nodded in unison.

"Finish your breakfast and come along; I want you to meet them," North stated, a wide grin on his face. "They have a son about your age, Jack; you and Emma can play with him while his parents and I chat!" Something about the phrase "a son your age" sounded simultaneously awesome and horrible in Jack's mind. Was North _really _trying to fix him a play date or something?

Rather than argue, the young brunette merely nodded his head and placed his glass in the sink along with Emma's empty cereal bowl. They followed North out the door an over the neighbor's yard in an uncomfortable silence.

* * *

That man was a dragon.

Holy _hell. _Jack had always thought North was pretty big, but this dude was a _behemoth. _His hand could probably crush Jack's head like a grape! And… and that wasn't even the _beginning _of it! This tall, burly man had a long auburn beard that Jack almost thought was longer than North's, and a head of hair to match it. To say the least, the guy was _intimidating_. His shadow completely eclipsed the sun – or at least at Jack's height it did. And when he spoke, it almost reminded Jack of the rumble of an earthquake.

"You must be North's lad, eh?" he asked, his face expressionless. Great. The dude had a funny accent too. He extended his monster-sized hand and smiled a bit at the young boy. "The name's Sven Haddock."

His name didn't really register in Jack's head; he wasn't entirely sure if his name was Ven and his accent was making it sound weird, or if it was Sven and he just pronounced it wrong. Hesitantly, and with a twinge of fear he took Sv… V… Sve… *ahem* _Mr. Haddock's_ hand and shook it politely. "I-I'm Jack. It's nice to meet you."

Mr. Haddock chuckled a bit and patted his head. "You seem like a strong boy, Jack."

Jack could feel Emma clinging to his arm behind him. He glanced between her and Mr. Haddock before boasting, "I-I sure am!" in an attempt to feign bravery in the presence of a dragon. The larger man smiled, and turned his attention to Emma, who shrunk back and clung to Jack's arm as if her life depended on it.

"And you must be Emma," he said, his voice a bit softer to address her. Emma shakily nodded, tugging on Jack's sleeve a bit. Mr. Haddock chuckled and turned to the house for a moment. Suddenly, his voice boomed loudly: "_HENRIK! GET OUT HERE A MOMENT!_"

Jack and Emma jumped a bit. Shortly after, a softer voice called back to him, "U-uh, one sec Dad!"

Mr. Haddock rolled his eyes for a split second, until his expression melted into what seemed like annoyance when he heard the clatter of things falling over inside, and a few muffled I'm sorry's here and there. Finally, after a silence so awkward Jack died a little inside, a tall blonde woman emerged from the building along with a skinny, brunette kid.

Jack's eyes locked on the two of them, as if to size them up. Compared to Mr. Haddock, Mrs. Haddock was really… well, _minuscule _and lean. She reminded him of one of Emma's dolls before she took it out of the packaging, with long blond hair pulled back in a loose braid and a few freckles that randomly dotted her face. She was fairly curvy, with meat on her bones but she still had a smaller size to her in comparison to Mr. Haddock. And just behind her, clinging to the back of her shirt, Jack could barely make out the form of another boy.

"It's nice to meet all three of you," the woman smiled gently. "My name is Valarie, but you can call me Val."

She shook hands with each of them, that smile never leaving her face. Shortly after, she nudged the boy hiding behind her a bit. A soft voice barely whispered, "H-Hello." Jack practically didn't hear him; his voice was so soft it was barely even a murmur. Val gently nudged him forward, letting him stand in front of her and Mr. Haddock. Jack raised an eyebrow.

Their kid was a pleasant mix of the two of them; he was rather lean like his mother, with freckles that stippled his shoulders and cheeks less generously than Val. Jack had a feeling that if you moved his tank top enough, you'd find his entire torso _covered _in freckles. His eyes were a bright green that _really _popped when he peeked at his face, and his bangs just barely skimmed the top of his eyebrows. His stance was sort of weird too; it seemed like he was shrinking _away _from Jack, tepidness evident in his every body movement. His tiny hands were balled up into fists and he held them close to his chest; it reminded Jack of those movies when wimpy kids got into fights but didn't know what to do. And it wasn't until he _really _looked that Jack caught a glimpse of the crudely stitched dragon he clutched to his chest tightly.

Jack snorted to himself. He looked like a dork.

"Well, don't be shy, boy!" North smiled, extending a hand toward the small boy. He shrunk back, but shook it timidly. "The little ones call me North; welcome to the neighborhood!"

"H-Hi." The kid stuttered, peeking over at Jack. The brunettes locked eyes for a minute before he nervously looked away. "I'm Henrick."

North nudged Jack forward, and the boy rolled his eyes a bit. He stepped forward and lazily waved. "I'm Jack. And the arm leech over here is Emma."

Emma pouted, loosening her grasp on Jack's sleeve. "Hey!"

"Jack, be nice." North chuckled.

The two boys just stared at each other quietly. To be completely honest, Hen-whatever-his-name-is wasn't exactly the kind of kid Jack was expecting to move next door. He struck him as quiet, and the way he hardly had a tan made him think the kid hardly got outside. Still, though, there was something interesting about the way he presented himself; Jack was regrettably curious about what kind of kid this guy was. When he peeked up at Mr. Haddock, he got the impression he was a rough-and-tough guy with no real boundary issues; whereas Mrs. Haddock seemed a bit more reserved.

Jack was curious; was Hiccup in the middle, or more like his mother?

"Henrick, why don't you and Jack play together for a bit," Mr. Haddock asked, patting his son on the back gently. Henrick looked back at him with widened eyes like a deer gazing into car headlights. His expression shifted from shyness to mortification in the blink of an eye. His Dad simply looked down at him and smiled. "Don't be shy, boy; Jack won't bite!"

"Or at least not _hard_," Jack mumbled under his breath, earning an amused giggle from his baby sister. Henrick weakly smiled at him, and the two walked to the tiny back yard. As they walked, Jack babbled on about the neighborhood and the different people who lived on their street. He went on and on about North's parties and whatever popped into his little brain until he ran out of breath to speak with. Meanwhile, Henrick simply nodded, giggling here and there when Jack made a crack about crazy old Mildue at the end of the road. But other than that, he didn't particularly say much. It was sort of annoying. Even Emma tried to talk to him, asking quiet questions about his favorite foods and colors, but Henrick stuttered and answered as quickly as he could.

After a dramatic inhalation, Jack peeked over at Henrick and said, "You don't really talk very much, do you?"

Henrick jumped a bit, but nodded. "S-Sorry…" His fingers curled around his little stuffed dragon tightly.

Jack huffed. The silence's return was annoying him _immensely._ Yeesh! Was this kid even _capable _of having fun or socializing with people?"What was your name again?"

"Um… H-Henrik."

Jack glanced over at Emma who shrugged, meaning nothing in particular. He smirked a bit and jokingly stuttered: "H-Henrik, huh? That's kind of a funny name." His joke caught a laugh from Emma and a nervous peek from Henrik. He clung to his dragon a bit more.

"I-It's just Henrik." He mumbled softly.

"You sure? It's not H-Henrik?"

Henrik's eyebrows weaved together a bit, his expression slowly moving into what seemed like annoyance. "I-It's not!" he replied, a bit louder. Something about the defensive tone in his voice pleased Jack. It revealed a louder side of the timid boy's personality that Jack wanted to explore.

"You have the hiccups or something? Y-You k-keep t-talking f-funny." He chuckled, poking the shorter brunette in the nose. Henrik shrunk back a little, letting his eyes fall to the ground while he shyly hugged his little dragon.

Emma peeked at his expression and turned to Jack with a giggle. "Jack I think you're hurting his feelings!"

He raised an eyebrow and chuckled a bit. _This kid seems pretty sensitive._ He thought to himself with an inner sigh. He strode towards the boy and bent his knees to look him in the eyes properly. "Am I?"

Henrik simply sat there quietly, trying to avoid Jack's gaze. The taller brunette placed a hand on his shoulder and laughed. "Well shucks; hiccup-boy knows I'm only kidding around, right?"

"You are?" His curious peek and genuinely surprised tone in his voice sort of stung a little. Jack wasn't _trying _to be rude.

"Sheesh! Can't you take a joke?" He groaned, smacking the boy on the arm playfully. "Smile a little, wouldja? You're killing me over here!"

Henrik hesitantly grinned, his smile a little crooked and half-hearted. Jack smiled at him in return. He almost had half a mind to call Henrik's smile cute. Before he could say more, he heard North's voice echo from the front yard, calling for Emma and he. Jack sighed.

"I guess we've gotta go," he said with a falling grin. "But we can play again sometime, right? You're pretty interesting, Hiccup-boy."

His eyes lit up, a bright tint of green that reminded Jack of the spring. "Yeah. But… can you quit calling me hiccup-boy? It's not funny."

"It's less of a mouthful than H-Henrik, that's for sure."

Henrik frowned, and Jack patted his head in response. Emma said a quick goodbye and the two hurried to meet up with North in the front yard.

* * *

Jack found Henrik… _amusing_.

Maybe he just liked messing with him, or the look he'd get on his face when Jack called him Hiccup. He'd weave his eyebrows downward and jut out his bottom lip, and _every_ time he'd complain, "Jack stop calling me that" in the whiniest voice Jack had ever heard. His pout reminded him of Emma when he played tricks on her. But there was something about Henrik that Jack really liked. When they played together, it felt like such a tremendous accomplishment when Jack could get him to laugh or smile; it was like finding a tiny treasure every once in a while, and it made him feel weird and fuzzy inside.

Henrik, Emma, and Jack would play every afternoon until dusk. Some days they'd pretend they were fierce warriors off to save the princess, or gargantuan monsters stomping around the cities. Some days they'd play hopscotch like before, and others they'd play hide-and-go-seek tag. And when it rained, Jack would cover Hiccup with his little striped umbrella when he picked him up and they'd run inside as fast as they could to curl up with Emma on the couch and watch cartoons. All in all, Hiccup was an interesting kid that Jack found himself becoming fond of slowly. As the August days flew by, week after week the two were becoming inseparable.

But nothing pleased Jack more than the night he peeked out his window and noticed Hiccup in the room adjacent from his.

The young brunette was eager to stand on the roof again to look at the moon, but when he went to open the window he noticed his friend unpacking a few boxes in the room with the roof. Jack smiled widely and cracked open his window, sliding the glass upward to allow himself room to slip out onto the rooftop. He let his feet press against the cool surface and stood on his tip-toes, trying to get a better look at his friend through the window.

Boxes littered the floors and mindless clutter was scattered across the furniture. Jack could barely make out a few posters he assumed Hiccup had stuck on the walls; one had a large, fierce looking black dragon, and the other looked like a large map. There were random papers already laid across his desk, and Jack spotted a few cases of books that had spilled onto the floor. He smiled to himself. Hiccup really _was _a dork. The boy in the window peeked out and met Jack's look with a surprised one of his own. Jack waved at him and the boy mimicked the gesture, visibly confused before shutting the curtain.

The young brunette simply laughed to himself. And before Jack snuck back inside to sleep, he peeked up at the moon in the night sky. He grinned from ear to ear.

The Man in the Moon was smiling down at him again.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Yay~! Chapter one! That was only about… 11 pages of shitty introduction and lazy descriptions. I think I'm better at describing action or setting than writing out actual dialogue! Well, I hope things were straight forward enough. Reviews would be greatly appreciated but I mostly just hope you enjoyed it and stick around for a while!


	2. Fresh Faces

**Author's Note: **I swear we're done with introductions for a while (considering my writing sort of suffers when I have to work out beginnings, this is _good_.) This is the obligatory "Hey look a new kid" chapter, so… yeah. It's a pretty slow one. Thank you for the likes on Tumblr and reviews here on ! You're all precious! I got a review asking about Toothless, and I can't really say _when _or _how _he's coming into things, but he'll be around soon! Also, I figured it'd be good if I noted that they're in Burgess. I didn't really mention it in the first chapter, but that's kind of important! I'm thinking that Berk is a town in Scandinavia, but I'm not sure yet. I'm sorry if that's a little vague or unclear! Also, I've been playing a lot of Sims 3 Seasons lately. It gave me ideas for the Elementary school years of Jack and Hiccup's friendship, so be on the lookout for that!

**Basic Overview: **August is passing, and as autumn comes around the corner Jack and Hiccup have to get ready for school. Hiccup is nervous about his first day, but Jack shows him the ropes.

**Point of View: **3rd person: alternation between Jack/Hiccup

**Warnings: **Nothing monstrously horrible, I'm pleased to say!

**Age Reminder: **(Starting reminders this chapter since it becomes relevant) Jack is 9 years old (3rd grade), Hiccup is 8 years old (3rd grade), Emma is 6 years old (1st grade)

* * *

**Chapter Two: Familiar Faces**

**August 18****th**

* * *

Henrik loved the autumn.

He loved the color of the leaves and the variation of tints they took as months passed. He loved the chill that ran up his spine when the wind rolled by, and how it seemed to linger in the air, chilling it to a comfortable temperature that wasn't too hot or too cold. He loved the excitement of Halloween (though he could do without the pranks) and this year would be his family's first time driving into New England to apple-pick. Autumn meant tucking away his summer clothes and starting to wear his favorite sweaters. But this autumn was different. With every leaf that blushed amber and delicately fell from the trees, Henrik felt an increasingly _dreadful _nervousness stir in his belly.

Classes were starting next week, and Henrik had never feared the autumn more.

If he didn't hate introductions before, he was _sure _he'd hate them now. Enrolling back in Berk was a nightmare, and now that he was going to a new school? He didn't _know _anyone. Henrik hated introductions immensely, and he was afraid everyone would think he's weird or dorky. He didn't want people to hate him.

Henrik heaved a heavy sigh and moved the curtain to peek outside the window. The oak tree just outside his window in Jack's yard was blushing a comforting auburn. Rain dripped down the window in pleasantly random trails and fell to the sill below with a gentle pattering sound. Across the yard he noticed Jack's window cracked open. His eyes skimmed across the slight view of his room. Henrik smiled. From the glance he took, he could see the navy blue walls and the dozens of posters slapped onto them. He could make-out a few posters of ice-wizards and bands he couldn't recognize just above Jack's bed. Random toys were scattered across the floor, and he noted the bright blue bean-bag in front of his dresser.

Sitting on that bean-bag was none other than Jack himself, with a comic book open on his lap. Emma sat beside him, delicately brushing the hair of her little blonde doll.

_It must be nice to have someone to play with all the time_, Henrik thought to himself. He carefully pulled the curtain shut and picked up his stuffed dragon. He held it tightly in his arms and scurried across the room to his desk, picking up his favorite book. The young brunette curled up under his blankets and carefully spread the covers apart, grinning widely at the familiar pages he opened to.

And for a while, Henrik simply read out of his book of dragons, letting his fingers drag across the pages prudently.

**September 1****st**

Henrik didn't wake-up that morning; he rose from the _dead_.

When his Mom called from the kitchen, he opened his eyes and rolled out of his bed with an exasperated groan. As he let his feet brush the carpet, he tried to clear his mind of doubt and shuffled to his dresser. He lazily picked out a striped green turtle-neck sand a pair of blue jeans. He slid into them with ease and glanced at the mirror, sighing at his appearance. His hair was getting longer, and the ends had begun to awkwardly curl upward. The skin of his cheeks were freckled and flushed; when he smiled, his front teeth were crooked and his lips twitched unevenly. And as his eyes skimmed downward more, he noted how large his shirt was; the freckled crook of his neck was barely visible beneath the collar that hung low.

Henrik frowned, running his fingers through his hair. He looked like such a dork.

He peeked out the window and comforted himself to the sound of the rain patting the window affectionately. He picked up his backpack and slung it over his shoulder. The day hadn't even begun yet, and he _already _wanted it to be over. He loped through the hall, strided down the stairs, and swung the corner; letting his feet drag with every step he took. His mother smiled gently at him as he entered the kitchen and scurried over to kiss his forehead sweetly.

"Mornin' Henrik," she greeted, handing him a brown paper bag. "I packed your lunch for you, dear."

Henrik forced a half-hearted smile. "Thanks, Mom."

Val sighed. She kneeled to look the young boy in the eyes and wrapped her arms around his skinny form briefly.

"You'll be alright, dear." She reassured him softly, stroking his hair as she embraced him. "I know Burgess is new for you, but give it a little time."

Henrik didn't _want _time, and he didn't _want _to go to class. Hanging out with Jack was one thing; Jack understood his situation, and for the most part he was sympathetic toward his shyness. He nudged him here and there and sort of poked fun in the _weirdest _places, but it was all casual. He always knew that Jack was joking when he made fun of him. When it came to the kids he _would _be meeting, he didn't know if they'd be joking or not. He didn't really want to take the risk of getting made fun of, either. It made him feel sick to his stomach. "I'm scared they're gonna hate me."

"Oh, Henrik," Val smiled tenderly, keeping her hands on the boy's shoulders as she pulled away from him. The hesitance written across her son's face was heartbreaking. "I know that sometimes meeting new people can be scary, but if you just be yourself I'm sure the other kids will love you as much as I do."

His lips twitched into a half-smile.

"And how could anyone hate you, dear?" She hugged him once more and kissed the tip of his nose. Henrik giggled; his half-smile melted into a fuller, brighter one. Val chuckled in response, pinching his flushed little cheeks playfully. "Just look at that smile of yours, bright like the sun! My handsome little Henrik…"

Henrik groaned, but a smile stretch across his face. He swatted her hands away. "Mom…!"

"Oh, I'll have to keep my eye on you; those girls will eat you up!"

"_MOM!" _Henrik groaned louder, his smile fading a bit. His mother chuckled heartily before brushing away his bangs and pressing a gentle kiss to his freckled forehead. The boy smiled. "…thanks."

Val nodded. "I love you very much, Henrik." She patted his head once more and gestured toward the front door. "Now come on; I don't want you to miss your bus."

* * *

Hiccup was coming to school today.

Jack had rolled out of bed that morning bummed out that he was going back to classes, but once he saw that little dork walk onto the bus and plop down in a seat his eyes lit up and a smile stretched across his face. His morning had been made. The young brunette watched him carefully, waving his hand when Hiccup finally spotted him. Hiccup smiled crookedly back and sat down in the seat two rows in front of him. Jack huffed. What an idiot.

With a hint of frustration, the brunette yelled forward, "Hey, Hiccup!"

Hiccup turned around with a _lovely _little scowl on his face. Jack choked back a laugh. "I thought I told you to stop calling me that."

"Hey, it stuck. _I _like it."

Hiccup rolled his eyes before turning to look out the window, and Jack snorted. The engine of the bus rumbled, and the familiar image of Jack's house crept out of sight as it began to move. Jack groaned. It was only a matter of time before he had to face his teachers again, and he was desperately attempting to cherish each moment of fleeting freedom he had left. The boy peeked forward a bit, noticing Emma sitting beside some kid in a blue and red puffy vest that looked about her age. It pleased him to see her socializing.

Curiously, Jack glanced over at his friend and noticed a small frown creeping along his face as the bus rounded the corner out of their street. He almost thought the poor kid was about to cry or something. Jack wasn't really sure why, but he _hated _that look on his face. It didn't look like… well, _Hiccup_ at all.

He called forward, "So… What are you sittin' by yourself up there for?"

The boy jumped a bit, as if he were breaking from a trance. He turned a bit to face Jack. "I… don't really know anyone." His thin frown slowly curved into an awkward smile.

"Well, you know _me _don't you?"

Hiccup stared at him blankly. The little dork. Jack sighed and patted the seat beside him in a less than subtle manner.

"Get over here, ya' doof." He huffed, tugging his backpack onto the floor to make room. Jack watched his expression shift from that weak, awkward smile into a full-out grin. The young boy smiled himself. Jack smirked when that horrid little frown was completely gone, and a smile took its place.

Now _that _looked more like Hiccup.

* * *

Henrik hurried across the aisle when the bus stopped at another house, plopping himself down beside a smirking Jack. They took a moment to simply smile at each other, before Henrik asked, "S-So… do you think we're in the same class this year?"

Jack pondered a moment before shaking his head. He glanced out the window at nothing in particular. "I think they set them up by last names, like alphabetically."

"Oh…" he pouted. "I guess that makes sense. We probably wouldn't be in the same class; N and H are pretty far apart."

"…N?"

Hiccup blinked. "Well… yeah, for North. Your last name."

There was a brief pause before Jack corrected him in a hushed voice, "It'd be an O. For Overland."

"Overland?"

Jack nodded, turning his head slightly to face Hiccup. "My last name."

Henrik stared at him for a moment, focusing on the blues of his eyes while he thought about this. Something about Jack's response perplexed him; he could have _sworn _that the day they'd met, his Dad had mentioned their last name was North.

He had half a mind to ask him about it, but something about the look on Jack's face and sudden silence between them told him that _really _wasn't a good idea.

* * *

The bell rang and Henrik died a little inside.

Jack and he had stepped off the bus with scowls on their faces; neither of them could _stand _the idea of being back to class. Emma had scurried off with a couple of her friends, and Jack waved goodbye to her. Henrik swallowed hard. Their school had looked so… so _huge _from the outside. The entrance was rather grand and the wide, glass doors stretched to a height Henrik was _sure _no one could possibly grow to. There were _tons _of windows and crudely drawn pictures behind a few display cases just out front. Henrik swallowed. He'd never felt this… _small_ before.

And that wasn't even the largest part. His peers towered over him as they passed by – a few younger kids aside. They were strangers, each with a blank face that held no name or familiarity, that swam around the spacious halls and chattered away in a garbled language Henrik could hardly fathom. He peeked beside him, and amidst the blurred figures scurrying around him he saw Jack, whose features he perceived as clear as day. Jack was the only face he knew, and in a few moments he'd be without him, lost in what felt like an endless sea of strangers. His stomach ached with that _retched _anxiousness again.

"Hey… there's no need to be nervous."

Henrik jumped a bit and turned to his friend. "Wh-what makes you think I'm nervous? I'm fine!"

"Man, you're a _horrible_ liar." Jack chuckled, poking Henrik in the cheek playfully. "You're white as a ghost!"

The boy groaned. _Fantastic._ Now he was changing colors, as if he wasn't different enough as it is.

"Hey, Hiccup," Jack had a rather sincere smile on his face, rather than his usual playful smirk. His voice was softer too, and he placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Relax a bit. I'm sure you'll be fine. First days are rough for everybody, ya' know?"

He felt the tension in his shoulders ease a little at the calm tone in Jack's voice. It felt refreshing in contrast to the buzz of everyone around him.

"And if anyone wants to mess with you, don't take it too personally. I'll beat 'em up for you if you want!" He punched his own fist as if to demonstrate his strength and growled for dramatic effect.

Henrik giggled. Jack was such a dork sometimes.

Jack patted him on the head and smiled gently. "I'll see you at lunch, 'kay? Make it 'til then and we can hang out at recess afterwards."

"Yeah! See you then!" Henrik smiled widely, watching Jack smile back and make his way into the crowd. He heaved a heavy sigh as his friend blended in with the blur of strangers, swung a corner, and left his field of vision completely. He let his legs stop shaking and his heartbeat regain some normality before slowly pacing through the corridor and into the third grade hallway. He glanced at each door's label until he stumbled upon room 309, and simply stared at it in both awe and complete, unadulterated _horror _for a moment. The moment sunk in and as he noticed more and more students filing into the room, he sucked in a breath and stepped in as well.

_Welcome to the jungle, _he thought to himself with a sigh.

* * *

Five minutes into the school day and Jack was already the class clown.

His teacher _insisted _that every student introduce themself (despite that everyone in the class knew each other) and give their favorite color. Of course, Jack wasn't particularly paying attention when they went around the circle and finally got to him, so the entire class just stared at him for a minute before he snapped out of his trance and threw something together off the top of his head. He ended up screwing up in a daze, saying his name was Blue, his favorite color was Jack. Apparently that was funny (though Jack didn't find it horribly amusing) and his teacher rolled her eyes at him, calling him "_that _kid".

Believe it or not, that was the _exact _moment Jack realized he was going to hate this year.

Shortly after, their teacher arranged their seats and Jack got placed in the second back seat towards the window. She introduced herself to everyone, and rambled on about how much fun they were going to have. Jack huffed. His teacher didn't strike him as the kind of person who even knew what fun _was_. Somewhere between the "behave in my class and we'll all have fun" lecture, and the _dreadful _introduction to the clubs and events their school offered, Jack glanced out the window. He let his eyes lock on field outside and grinned to himself when he noticed the leaves changing colors.

Winter would be here soon, and Jack already couldn't _wait _for their first snow day of the year.

Sure, he was going to miss the comfortable warmth that summer brought, but winter held so much more promise. He couldn't wait to hear the announcer call out Burgess Elementary that weekday morning, or to play in the snow with Emma and finally figure out how the_ heck _to build an igloo. He couldn't wait for snow angels and snowball fights, hot chocolate and Christmas parties… he wanted autumn to go by quickly so he could just cop out on school and have some _fun_ again. What excited him even _more_ was having Hiccup around to play with. The two of them would have so much fun, and Jack had _so much _he had to show the boy. He couldn't wait. There was something… _exciting _about having a new, clueless friend to teach. Like passing the torch to his new successor or something. It made him feel wise, in a way.

He _did _know, though, that he had his work cut out for him. Hiccup didn't seem to have the best social track record, so Jack was going to have to ease him into things. He would start with easy stuff, like playing in the snow or building a snow man, before busting out the invitation to North's _insane _Christmas party. He could already imagine the look on Hiccup's face when he would first walk in the door. It brought a smile to his face imagining Hiccup's reactions to everything, and that goofy little smile he had a tendency of wearing when he was excited.

And as his mind slowed at the end of his teacher's rant, he glanced at the door and wondered how Hiccup was doing in his class.

* * *

The lunch bell rung with a loud echo, and Henrik thanked as many gods as he could manage to.

From the _second _his teacher announced that he was a new student from Scandinavia, his classmates _piled _questions on him. The poor kid could hardly get a word in! Henrik didn't really get what was so exciting about him being from somewhere else, but he shrugged it off as he picked his lunch out of his backpack and paced down the hall with his class to the lunchroom. He marched along aimlessly, glancing around him as they wove through what felt like a labyrinth of halls. He watched the numbers on the door shift from 300's to 400's, and when they finally reached the 5th grade hall they swung a corner and stepped into the lunchroom. Henrik gulped.

The tables were fashioned into organized rows, and the back wall was completely glass. He noted the colorful mural that covered the right wall, as well as the plaques that hung loosely to the left wall, just above the kitchen. Henrik skimmed his eyes across the room, peeking at random faces until he spotted Jack at a far table. Their eyes met from a distance, and Jack called out: "Hey, Hiccup!"

Henrik sighed and strided over. He sat down beside his friend and huffed, "Did you _really _have to yell that so loud, Jack?"

"Caught your attention didn't it?"

He rolled his eyes. Jack took a bite from his sandwich and smirked. "So how'd you do this morning?"

"Everyone was asking me a lot of questions. It was hard to introduce myself 'cause they kept asking things." Henrik chuckled lightly. "It was kind of overwhelming."

Jack smiled widely. "How did you, though?"

"How did I what?"

"Introduce yourself, silly!" He elbowed the boy with an audible chuckle. "Were you Hiccup or H-H-Henrik?"

Henrik frowned. "Man… would you quit _calling _me that?"

"Would you rather I call you Henry? Squirt? Freckles?" Jack sniggered, taking another large bite out of his sandwich and giving Henrik a playful smack on the arm. "I'm pretty flexible if you are!"

The boy rolled his eyes and snapped back, "You could call me, oh I dunno, my _name_?"

"No way, Hiccup," Jack grinned and playfully poked Henrik in the nose. "If you're sticking with me, I need something to call you."

"Geez, are you like this with everyone?" he chuckled.

The brunette's smile widened, and Henrik took a bite out of his own sandwich.

"Not _everyone. _Just my friends."

The whistle for lunch's end blew, and Henrik felt a smile tug at his lips from Jack's comment. Shortly after, they cleaned up their table and hurried outside to the playground for recess. It was fun, and utterly simple. Jack and Hiccup agreed on playing pretend, and scurried around the play-scape to chase an imaginary dragon. Jack was a powerful ice-mage, while Henrik declared himself a knight. Their adventure was cut short, however, when they were called in to go back to class and Henrik's teacher pulled him aside for a moment. As Jack headed back to his classroom, he peeped back at Henrik with an inquisitive look, but swung the corner in sync with his class.

"Henrik, your mother called us this morning; she said you'll be going home on the bus with Jack this afternoon."

Henrik blinked a little, a twinge of concern making itself evident in his expression. "What for? Did something happen?"

His teacher smiled gently. "She'll be staying at work a little bit late tonight, so she'd like you to have someone to keep you company while she and your father are at gone."

"Um… alright." He responded, a bit hesitant.

His class swung back into the classroom but Henrik strided behind his peers shyly. He _still _didn't quite have the nerve to catch up with them. A few of them noticed he was walking slower and crowded around him, their curious questions flooding his ears again. He answered as best as he could before the teacher shushed them.

* * *

"Man, I want summer back."

Jack mumbled under his breath and sunk back in his seat. There were only five minutes left of class before they were allowed to leave, and man, oh _man _were they dragging by sluggishly. His teacher would _not _stop talking and it was beginning to drive him slowly insane. He wanted _out_, but the bell hadn't rung yet. What gnawed at him even more was his teacher's little announcement; Hiccup would be coming home with him today, and now he _definitely _couldn't wait.

He counted the seconds until a cheerful bell rang through the room. He smiled and _rushed _for his cubby, pulling out his backpack and running as fast as he could out the door. Sure enough, Hiccup was shyly waiting for him at the end of the hall. Jack smiled. He almost dared to call the boy cute.

"Hey, Hiccup!" he called, a smile stretching across his face. He chuckled when he noticed Hiccup jump a bit (you think he'd be used to it by now) and ran over to him. "Aren't you glad? Today's finally _over!_" Jack sighed, putting dramatic emphasis on the sound to get a laugh out of his friend. Unfortunately, he didn't get a laugh but at least Hiccup smiled. "So how'd everything go?"

Hiccup shrugged. "I guess it went alright. I hardly had room to breathe with everyone pelting me with questions…"

"Yeah, everyone gets pretty weird about new kids. Like getting a new toy or something." He sighed, and then remembered the task at hand. "Oh! Right! Bus! Hiccup, we gotta _go_ or we'll miss it!"

Hiccup nodded, and the two of them sped through the corridor to their bus.

* * *

Hanging out at Jack's house was really… _comfortable._

Henrik got the impression that his family was very close by the lively atmosphere about his house; there were toys and comic books scattered across the floor here and there, and the faint melody of a song echoed not too far from the living room. The lights were on and all the curtains had been drawn back, letting light flood into the house and cover every floor board and piece of furniture in glorious sun-beams. He noted the crumpled doodles and A+ papers hung to the fridge, and the copious amounts of framed photos around the living room. Henrik smiled. Something about Jack's house held a warm hospitality.

Jack was upstairs with Emma, changing out of their school clothes and putting away their books. Henrik had used the downstairs bathroom to change into a loose brown t-shirt and a pair of camouflage shorts. He'd managed to finish changing before Jack and Emma, so he paced around the lower floor for a while. He focused on the soft drip of rain against the windows and smiled to himself. He felt oddly relaxed.

Henrik noticed how many photos North had hung up of Jack and Emma. Every wall he looked at had at _least _two pictures of each of them on it. His eyes locked on one in particular; in a thick, black frame he noted a photograph of what seemed like a _much _younger Jack holding an infant Emma. However, something seemed… _off_. He didn't wear that cocky little grin Henrik had become so accustomed to. His lips were crooked in a half-hearted smile, and his eyes reflected a melancholic orphan blue, as opposed to the upbeat cerulean tint they currently held. Looking closely, he could also notice how messy and dirty his brunet hair looked. It spiked and curved in all different directions without any rhyme or reason. It reminded Henrik of a rogue thief in a movie he watched as a kid.

Something about this picture was strange. The kid in the picture was Jack, Henrik could tell, but at the same time it _hardly _resembled him. That wasn't Jack… Or at the very least that wasn't the one that Henrik knew. His Jack was playful and optimistic and lively, with a big, wide, goofy smile and a sense of humor that had no limitation. The Jack he saw in that picture looked… sad. Broken. Torn to pieces and beaten like a kicked puppy. Henrik frowned a bit. The very possibility that a Jack like this could have existed made his heart drop.

"Sorry about that, Hiccup!"

The pitter-patter of feet scurrying down stairs and that joyful tone in Jack's voice snapped him out of his trance. He peeked over at the staircase and smiled when he saw his friend standing before him. He now wore a simple grey t-shirt and a pair of blue jeans; his feet were bare. Jack's lips were curved into a natural, toothy smile that comforted Henrik to an extent.

Now _that _looked a lot more like Jack.

"No worries," Henrik returned his smile. "So what do you wanna do?"

Jack peeked out the window and then back at Henrik with a disappointed look in his eyes. "Well… I _wanted _to adventure outside but I guess the weather didn't really like that idea. So… wanna watch some cartoons?"

"Sure." Henrik nodded, and the two of them made their way into the den to curl up on the couch and watch some Tom and Jerry. Emma joined them once she was done changing, adding her two-cents to certain jokes during the episodes every now and then. Jack would add a few comments too, and Henrick would simply laugh as the two of them bickered. It was… really nice. Comfortable. Something about hanging out with Jack and his sister made Henrick feel welcome.

Two hours passed, and the boys were beginning to get bored. Jack nudged Henrick's arm and whispered, "Hey, wanna play up in my room?"

"Definitely," Henrik responded in a hushed voice. The two of them stood up and started for the stairs, until they heard Emma shyly ask:

"Can I play, too?"

Jack looked at Henrik with a questioning glance. The boy shrugged in response. He didn't really mind either way.

"Sorry Emma," Jack strided over to pat his sister on the head gently. "It's a boy's only game."

She jutted out her bottom lip and crossed her arms. "But Jack, I wanna play too!"

"Hey, we can play together when Hiccup leaves, okay?" He kissed the top of her head and Emma pouted more. "Hopscotch, like we usually do. Or if it doesn't stop raining by then, we'll do whatever you want."

Emma thought carefully for a minute before answering, "Fine! But you'd better not be tricking me again!"

Jack simply laughed, and started up the stairs. "I'm not!" he yelled from above, and Henrik followed. They hurried into Jack's room, and the eldest brunette shut the door behind Henrik.

* * *

"You really seem to like wizards, Jack."

Jack peeked over at Hiccup with a widened grin. He noticed his friend was staring up at one of his posters with a fascinated expression. "Sure do! I like ice mages most, though."

Hiccup chuckled. "Why ice?"

"Cause why fight people when you can just freeze 'em or pelt 'em with snow? Besides, being able to make snow days whenever I want sounds like a lot of fun!" Jack smirked, striding over to his bed before plopping himself down. He let his back hit the mattress and kicked his feet in the air a little bit. "What about you? You like wizards?"

Hiccup plopped himself down on the bean bag beside his bed and thought for a moment. "They're kinda cool, but I like dragons a lot more."

Something about the way the word "dragons" rolled off of Hiccup's tongue told Jack he really liked them. He noted the spark of excitement in his eyes that made itself evident. Jack smiled. Hiccup really _was _a dork. "Dragons? But aren't they just oversized lizards?"

"They're not lizards, they're _cooler_," Hiccup stated as-a-matter-of-factly. "Besides, lizards can't breathe fire or fly or pillage castles and all _that_ fun stuff."

"I _guess _that's kinda cool." Jack sighed. "Can they talk, or do they just roar like in the movies?"

"Oh!" Hiccup bounced in his seat and the beanbag squeaked beneath him. He grinned widely and his eyes lit up a bright shade of green. "Oh! I read in my book once that they can talk to each other in their own language. I think it was called Dragonese."

Jack raised an eyebrow in interest. "Really?"

"Yeah! There are all _kinds _of different dragons in my book at home." Hiccup bounced up and down enthusiastically, staring at Jack with a wide, goofy smile that made him smile too. "There's Gronckles, Changewings, Deadly Nadders, Terrible Terrors—"

"What's your favorite?" Jack interjected with a smile on his face. Something about the excitement that Hiccup radiated was contagious. He liked this happy side of Hiccup.

Hiccup turned himself completely to look at his friend. He had this dreamy sort of expression on his face as if he were in a dragon-induced daze. "I like Night Furies. They're really, _really_ quick and my big book of dragons said no one's ever caught one before!"

"You don't say?"

"Yeah!" Hiccup beamed from ear-to-ear.

"You ought to show me your book of dragons some time," Jack grinned, slumping off his bed and landing on the floor on his butt. "It sounds really interesting."

Hiccup's smile failed to waver. He nodded. "Definitely! It's really cool, Jack!"

* * *

Mr. Haddock came to get Hiccup around 9:30 that night.

Of course, he'd popped in around 8 o'clock or so, but North bought the two boys an hour and a half of play time with aimless chatter. And when the time finally came, something about saying goodbye to Hiccup that night felt weird, like he didn't want his friend to go (despite his living next door). Before Mr. Haddock and he walked out, Jack found himself running forward to hug the boy for a moment. Hiccup didn't really respond well. As a matter of fact his entire body stiffened uncomfortably, and when Jack let go he noticed the confusion written across his face.

As Hiccup made his way back home, Jack felt Emma tug at his sleeve. He peeked outside the window and noticed the rain had come to a halt, so they played hopscotch for a while.

All in all, third grade started out to be a lousy year. Jack absolutely _hated _multiplication, and his teacher didn't particularly seem to like him. Henrik had taken a liking to their history lessons, and his classmates finally started leaving him alone. The two of them sat at lunch together every day, and played after school whenever they could. The autumn days grew colder, and the leaves fell from the trees with every calendar page torn. On the weekends, the two would take Emma with them to the playground nearby and pose as valiant knights until North called them back.

Third grade was simplicity. It was wizards and dragons and the slow realization that Jack and Hiccup were becoming inseparable.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Well this was a painful chapter to write. I have a good portion of the 5th grade chapters and High School chapters ready to go but we're not quite there yet. I hope you guys enjoyed this! Reviews aren't _required_, but appreciated; hope you guys stick around


	3. Winter Wonderland

**Author's Note: **I'm on vacation this week, so I'll have _quite _a bit of time on my hands. Luckily, that means I'll be writing more Youth. I _actually _don't have too many notes for this chapter, fortunately. The most I can muster is that this chapter takes place in the third grade still. The following chapter will _also _be in the 3rd grade, and afterwards (this may change, I'll keep you posted) we'll be moving into the 4th grade chapters. I'll apologize for the 5th grade chapters when we get there. I'm estimating that each school grade will get at _least _three chapters each, though middle school might be the exception to that rule. The pace will slow down in their teenage years (since life often drags when you're waiting for adulthood to smack you upside the head).

I actually didn't have much planned for this chapter, so it might be a bit shorter than the others. I'm trying to pace this nicely, so that each reaches at least 6,000 words or 12 pages (Whichever I hit first.) I apologize for the shortness!

**Basic Overview: **Jack's birthday is a few days away, and Christmas is right around the corner. North is throwing a huge Christmas party to celebrate both the holidays _and _Jack's birthday.

**Point of View: **3rd person: alternation between Jack/Hiccup

**Warnings: **The worst it gets is the mention of alcohol, but I certainly hope that's nothing too bad.

**Age Reminder: **Jack is 9 but turning 10 years old (3rd grade); Hiccup is 8 years old – turning 9 in the springtime (3rd grade); Emma is 7 years old (1st grade; her birthday was in November)

* * *

**Chapter Three: Winter Wonderland**

**December 19****th**

* * *

"_SNOW DAY!_

A jubilant voice rang through the air directly outside of Henrik's window, snapping him from the comfort of sleep into the groggy displeasure of consciousness. He rolled over, from his side to his stomach, and let his face bury itself into the pillow with a sleepy groan. Henrik pressed his eyelids shut and cleared his thoughts, but sleep shied away from him. He could feel his heart pounding at a steady, lively pace now. Henrik sighed.

Yeah. Now he _definitely _had the displeasure of saying he was awake.

Shifting a little in his bed, Henrik knelt on the mattress and pulled back his curtain, letting sunlight flood into his tiny room. It brushed the surface of the carpet and dusted his furniture in a pleasant glow; the light met his fingertips as he lazily extended his hand from the shadow of his corner into the ray. He smiled a bit as it illuminated each freckled fingertip. Just outside, he peeked a bit more and spotted – who else but – Jack Overland hopping around on the roof beneath the adjacent window, his expression bright and lit up with a widened smile and his arms extended as if he were trying to hug the falling snow. Henrik giggled to himself a bit. It was certainly a peculiar sight to wake up to.

Even _weirder _was that Jack was hopping around on the snow-covered roof in his _bare feet_. If he wasn't sure Jack was crazy before, Henrik was _positive _now.

Said brunette glanced over at Henrik's window and noticed him peeking. He laughed a little and waved, to which Henrik returned the gesture awkwardly. His exclamation of a snow day sparked Henrik's curiosity, so he carefully slid out of his bed, slithered into his slippers, and hurried down the stairs. Sure enough, his parents were already in the kitchen eating breakfast; his mother wore a welcoming smile while his dad's expression reflected heartiness as well. Henrik swung the corner off the stairs and peeked out their front window, a smile tugging his lips when his eyes met the winter wonderland just outside.

The streets were covered in a brilliant blanket of white and icicles poked off the gutters of his house. The once naked trees beside the house now wore a thick, snowy shawl across each of their branches; the piles of snow above the roots curved along their sides like a thin skirt and continued in lacey frost patterns up the trunks. And when Henrik poked his head out the front door, the birds still chirped their playful songs while the rest of the world fell victim to winter's inevitable silence. The boy smiled.

It was his first snow day in Burgess.

* * *

"Emma! Emma! Did you see the snow?!"

Jack was bouncing on the balls of his freezing feet as he strided into his sister's room. His sister smiled widely, moving from her position by the window to hug her big brother. Jack scooped her up into his arms and chuckled, hugging her tightly before swinging her around a bit. Emma held onto him tightly and laughed, "I sure did! There's a whole _bunch _of it! We might even get a delay tomorrow!"

"Now how cool would _that_ be?" He held her tightly, shifting her position in his arms to a more comfortable one before heading out of the room. "We could play today _and _tomorrow!"

Emma giggled and tugged on his shirt a bit. "Is Henrik coming over too?"

Jack's smile widened at the mention of his friend. He made his way down the hallway and stopped before the stairs. "Probably. We just gotta go get him."

"I like Henrik!" Emma giggled, curling her fists close to her chest. "He's really sweet!"

"Yeah, he's a real goofball." Jack smiled back, stepping down the stairs carefully before swinging the corner and striding into the kitchen. "But I like him too."

The eldest brunette carefully placed Emma back on the floor and kissed the top of her head, a smile stretching across his face when he saw North pouring himself a cup of milk. "Mornin' North!"

"Good morning little ones!" he cheered in his thick, Russian accent. Emma ran over to him for a hug; her height only permitted her to hug North's side, though. Jack chuckled a bit. "I trust you heard the cancellation?"

Emma nodded hurriedly, pulling herself from North's side to sit at the table. Jack strided over to the cabinet to fix her a bowl of cereal. "Yeah! There's a _whole lot _of snow outside, Dad! Did you see it?"

"Yes, yes," North chuckled, patting her head before taking a seat. "Forecast said about foot of snow on the ground; you might be out tomorrow too, so the plows can get to work."

Emma cheered loudly, jumping in her seat. "Did you hear that, Jack?! We get to play tomorrow!"

"Well thank god for that!" The older placed a bowl of Lucky Charms in front of her and poured himself a glass of orange juice. "Hee. Maybe we can go bug Hiccup tomorrow, too."

"Yeah!" Emma cheered, giggling loudly. She bounced in her seat and Jack took a swig of his juice. "Can we go out and play in the snow, Dad? Can we, can we, can we?"

North chuckled loudly and finished off his glass of milk. "Finish your breakfast first, and _then _you can go play." He turned to Jack with a slight smile. "Help her with her snow gear?"

Jack nodded. "Not a problem. Want me to get the dishes?"

"No, little one; you two go out and play." The man insisted, giving Jack a pat on the shoulder. "I will take care of dishes."

Both of the kids smiled, nodding at each other before finishing their breakfast and hurrying upstairs. Jack helped Emma shimmy into her snow gear before he hurriedly slid into his own; he tucked his hair into his blue and white cap, and helped his younger sister gets her fingers into her gloves. And as soon as they could get their boots on (with a little trouble unsticking the Velcro from the carpet) they hurried out the front door and stared in awe at the foot of snow in their yard.

Emma giggled as Jack immediately dived off the deck into the snow and shortly followed; swinging her arms and legs around hurriedly to make a snow angel. She rolled out of the snow indentation and pointed with excitement. Jack smiled widely and picked her up in his arms. "Come on; let's go get Hiccup." He enthused, kissing her reddened nose.

Something about the way her face lit up when he mentioned Hiccup made him happier than usual.

* * *

Henrik heard a knock at the door during breakfast that morning, and his face lit up when he immediately recognized the voice calling out, "Hiccup, you home?"

He glanced over at his mother, whose expression shifted from a hint of surprise into a gentler smile. Val placed a hand on his shoulder before heading for the front door. Henrik watched her open it and smiled widely when he saw Jack and Emma waiting on the porch.

"Mornin' Mrs. Haddock!" Jack chirped, hugging Emma close to him. His jacket looked wet and a few loose strands of brunette hair clung to his forehead. Henrik smiled. He assumed Jack and Emma had gotten a head start on playing in the snow. "Can Henrik come out to play?"

Henrik was caught off guard a bit. Jack calling him by his first name sounded… _weird._ Val chuckled and peeked back at Henrik with a smile across her face. "Henrik?"

"Just a sec, Mom!" He smiled and nodded, finishing off his eggs and placing his dish carefully in the sink. He turned to his Dad and pointed to his dish. "You want me to…?"

Sven laughed and stood to pat his son on the head. "Go have fun, Henrik. We'll take care of it."

With a widened smile across his face, Henrik hurried back up the stairs and into his room. He shifted through a box of clothes he'd failed to unpack (mostly because he was lazy) and pulled out his snow pants. After hurriedly sliding out of his pajamas, he managed to wrestle his snow gear on and tucked his hair into his black cap before hurrying down the stairs, nearly tripping when he reached the front door. He peeked up at his Mom and smiled. "'kay, I'm ready."

She kissed the top of his head and fixed his scarf a little. "Have fun and come inside if you get too cold, alright? I don't want you catching a cold."

Henrik nodded and turned to Jack. Emma was smiling from ear to ear in his arms, and Jack nodded his head to the right. Henrik smiled and hurried out onto the porch, and the three of them set off for the yard.

* * *

They played for a good duration of the day, passing through the morning without even noticing.

Jack had mentioned his curiosity about building an igloo to Hiccup, and was pleased to hear that the boy actually knew how to build one. Hiccup brought a couple of tiny boxes from his house and they packed the snow in; he showed Jack how to stack and curve them into an igloo and Jack had never seemed happier in his life. They worked as an effective team; Jack and Hiccup stacked the ice bricks while Emma packed the snow. Jack smiled a bit when he noticed Emma blush a bit when Hiccup thanked her for each brick. He couldn't quite tell if it was the cold that made her do so or something more _amusing_.

Sometime during their little igloo escapade, Emma started sneezing so Jack took her inside. He left her snow gear on the front porch and Hiccup watched him carefully wrap her in blankets and fetch her some hot chocolate from the doorway. He turned on cartoons for her and kissed her forehead before hurrying back outside. For some reason, the way Jack took care of Emma made Hiccup feel really… _warm _inside. It was like seeing a different side of him; rather than Jack's impulsive, reckless personality, Hiccup got a short peek at Jack's more nurturing, careful side. He strangely liked it.

When it was finally just the two of them, they took turns stacking bricks and packing boxes until the igloo finally came together nicely. With half of their day blown away to build it, Jack and Hiccup finally crawled inside and huddled together, pretending to be Eskimos for a while. When their game got tiresome, they simply sat in the igloo together; Jack traced small patterns into the snow with his gloved finger and smiled, drawing crude stick figures of Hiccup and he under a large curve (it was supposed to be the igloo, but it didn't turn out too well). Hiccup smiled a bit, and Jack returned it.

They chatted aimlessly for a while, until Jack interjected: "Ya' know, my birthday's in two days."

Hiccup's eyes widened amusedly. "No way!"

"Yep! December 21st." Jack puffed out his chest and let his arms rest on his hips proudly. "I'm turning 10, the big two digits!"

"No fair!" Hiccup faux-pouted. "I'm not 10 for another two years!"

Jack laughed loudly, patting his friend on the shoulder as if to console him. "That's~ right! Looks like I'm gonna be the big kid around here soon!"

He turned to face Hiccup, but jumped a bit when he felt the cold sting of a snowball in his face. Jack gaped, taken aback by his friend's sudden boldness.

Hiccup laughed just as loudly as he had before and sassed back, "More like a big _doofus._"

"Oh, you're _asking for it _squirt!" Jack chuckled, pressing a snowball in his hands and tossing it at Hiccup. They hurried out of their little igloo and pelted each other with snowballs for a while, both of them laughing playfully and running around aimlessly. At one point, Jack threw a pretty hard one and knocked Hiccup clean off his feet. He gasped and hurried to help his friend up, guilt written across his face as he apologized repeatedly, and asking if the boy was okay. When he went to help Hiccup up, the little dork hit him square in the jaw with a snowball!

Jack grinned widely. Hiccup had just as many tricks up his sleeve as he did!

After a few more rounds, they both finally collapsed into the snow, laughing heartily while gasping for breath. Jack turned his head to look at his friend and grinned; the joy on Hiccup's face made him feel warm inside despite the snow surrounding him, and his smile lit up his entire face. His cheeks were a light pink, his freckles dusted with a rosy color that traveled to the tip of his nose and shifted into a dark purple on his lips. His hat had pulled off his head a bit, letting his bangs cling wetly to his forehead and the sides of his head. Tiny drops of water dripped down his face and Jack realized how much he liked Hiccup's smile. It made his friend look best and gave his features a favorable glow of delight.

Jack broke the silence as their laughter died. "Hey, Hiccup?"

Hiccup peeked over at him, his smile never wavering. "Yeah?"

"Bet you didn't know I can make it snow."

Hiccup raised an eyebrow, a disbelieving smile working across his lips. "You're joking, right?"

Jack sat up, puffing out his chest proudly again. "Not at all! I make it snow _every year _around my birthday, and I haven't missed one yet!"

"Yeah _right! _This is your stupidest trick yet, Jack!" Hiccup rolled his eyes, sitting up with his friend.

"It's not a trick!" Jack whined, crossing his arms. "It's true, Hiccup! Cross my heart!"

As if to validate what he was saying, he crossed his thumb over his chest in an X. Hiccup scoffed. "Oh _really?_"

"Yes! _Really!_"

"Hmm…" Jack watched Hiccup's expression shift from curiosity to a wicked grin that suggested he had an idea. "If you can really make it snow whenever you want to, then make it snow on March 26th!"

"Huh? Why would I do that?"

"That's _my _birthday." Hiccup crossed his arms too, his smirk broadening. "If you can make it snow on _my _birthday I'll definitely believe you."

Jack pouted. He weaved his eyebrows downward and huffed. "No way! Why would I make it snow on _your _dumb birthday if you don't even believe I can?"

Hiccup thought carefully for a moment. He snapped his fingers (without a sound due to his gloves being in the way) and smiled more. "Cause if you do, I'll buy you an ice cream at lunch!"

"No way!" Jack turned his head away from him in mock-anger. "You can't just bribe me with ice cream, Haddock; this is an _entire _snow storm we're talking about!"

"_Two _ice creams, and that's my final offer!"

Jack looked at him with a slight smile on his face. "…Fine. You've got yourself a deal."

They shook on it, both wearing cocky smirks. Jack laughed. "You'd better watch yourself, Haddock. Just you wait; I'm gonna bring you _feet _of snow!"

Hiccup simply rolled his eyes. "I'm so sure."

* * *

Jack and Hiccup finally caved and fled inside when Hiccup announced that he could hardly feel his fingers.

They tossed their snow gear on the front porch and marched inside, shaking off as much snow from their boots as they could on the deck before shimmying out of them and heading in. North had readied hot chocolate for them in exchange for Jack washing the mugs out afterwards. Jack agreed, and the two of them sat beside a sleeping Emma on the couch. The oldest brunette excused himself for a moment while he carried Emma up to her room and set her down on her bed, tucking her beneath her blankets and shutting off the lights. Hiccup could hear him close the door and tip-toe down the stairs before he plopped himself down beside him.

Remembering their agreement from earlier, Jack sketched out a contract on a piece of loose leaf and demanded that both of them sign it. Hiccup signed and rolled his eyes, and once more they shook on it. After putting the contract away, Jack flipped the TV to Looney Tunes, and the two of them laughed together at Bugs Bunny's antics. They sipped at their hot chocolate and talked about nothing, and Hiccup yelled at Jack for poking his leg with one of his cold, _cold _toes while Jack simply laughed mischievously. Jack grabbed a blanket and scooted closer to his friend, letting it hang loosely over their shoulders to help them warm up and Hiccup smiled at him.

A thought popped into Jack's little head and he jumped a bit at the realization. "Oh! Hiccup!"

The blanket shifted when he jumped, which caught Hiccup's attention. He peeked over at him. "What's up?"

"North throws these really cool parties around the holidays for my birthday and Christmas," he started, looking over at Hiccup with bright blue eyes. "And I know he was going to invite your Mom and Dad so… do you wanna come?"

Hiccup's eyes widened a bit with interest. "Am I allowed to?"

"Of course, ya' doof; why else would I ask you?" Jack laughed. "The only warning I can offer is that North is a pretty… uh… rowdy guy. The adults are probably gonna be all weird during the night, so at around 8 or 9ish we'd have to head upstairs."

Hiccup crooked his head a bit. "Why's that?"

Jack shrugged with genuine confusion on his face. "I dunno; something about a drink makin' 'em all loopy. It's pretty funny to watch, from a safe distance. North kind wobbles when he has a lot of it."

"What kind of drink is it?"

"An adult one, I guess." Jack scratched the back of his neck, his eyebrows weaving upward. "North told me I'm too young to have any. I think he said you've gotta be 21."

"I think my Dad mentioned it too," Hiccup sighed. "Sometimes my parents have it on the holidays, Dad gets really loud and my Mom giggles a lot. It's kinda funny, but I don't really get what they're saying half the time."

"…man, adults are _weird_."

"No kidding!" Hiccup laughed. He smiled a bit and sipped his hot chocolate. "But the party sounds like a lot of fun. Mom will probably be cool with it; I just have to ask my Dad."

Jack smiled too. "Good! Usually North has a bunch of adults around and I end up having to play with Emma in the living room." He turned to Hiccup and patted his head, letting the blanket fall from their shoulders a bit. "It'll be a lot more fun with you there."

His comment made Hiccup smile wider, and the two of them sat there for a bit longer, until North called them over for supper.

* * *

Mr. Haddock came for Henrik around 8:30 like always, and the two of them hugged goodbye.

Henrik was delighted to hear North invite their family to the Christmas party, and he smiled over at Jack when his Dad accepted the invitation. Jack threw him a smirk and thumbs up, and as Henrik turned to leave he watched his friend hurry up the stairs. As Henrik trekked through the snow with his Dad, he peeked up at him and noticed the smile on his face.

"So…" he fumbled for something to talk about. "Mom's gonna go too, right?"

"Of course, son." Sven chuckled and patted his son's head. As the silence returned, he asked, "Seems you've taken a liking to Jack, huh?"

Henrik nodded. "He's a lot of fun to be around." His expression twisted into mock-annoyance. "But he keeps calling me Hiccup."

Sven laughed a bit louder and gently nudged the boy in the arm. "'s probably cause you're still a runt."

"Hey!" Henrik pouted. He stomped his foot in the snow and pointed at him angrily. "I'm still growing! Just wait, I'm gonna get really tall and really strong!"

They made it back home, and Sven merely shook his head with a chuckle. "I'm sure you will, son. I'm so sure."

* * *

Jack wanted to do something _really _stupid.

And this was bridging between completely stupid and utterly reckless, but for some reason Jack couldn't find it in himself to care. He wanted to try it at least once and see if it'd be as cool as it seemed when he first thought of it. When night fell and he was sure Emma and North had fallen asleep, he tip-toed to his window and opened it delicately, taking extra care to prevent the hinges from squeaking. He observed the surface of his roof and noted the snow on it. He slipped on a pair of socks and hiking boots before climbing out of the window frame. Carefully, he let his feet touch the surface and allowed his weight to fall; he stood on the slant and smiled to himself. But he wasn't done yet.

Above him, the Man in the Moon watched him with one shut eye, letting the other half fall into darkness to create a semicircle that beamed marvelously above him. Jack chuckled to himself. It seemed like he could hardly watch him do it.

Jack stepped further from his window, allowing himself to near the end of his roof, and to the edge of Hiccup's. He smirked as he noticed the curtain open and Hiccup's light still on. With an extreme amount of care, Jack hopped from his roof to Hiccup's, his breath hitching when he thought he slid but didn't. Regaining his balance and catching his breath, he prudently walked up the slant of the roof and finally reached the boy's window. He peeked in, noticing his friend's face buried in a book about – or at least he assumed it was – dragons.

Jack smirked. He tapped on the boy's window delicately and laughed a bit when he heard Hiccup yelp.

He watched as Hiccup whipped around, and chuckled when his eyes widened and his jaw dropped. "Jack!?" he half-yelled. Jack could tell Hiccup wasn't supposed to be awake by the way he stuffed a blanket beneath his door to block out the light in his room and how hushed his voice sounded.

"'sup, Hiccup?" he smiled. Hiccup shut his book and moved to crack open the window and Jack bent his knees a bit to talk to him through the crack. "Shouldn't you be asleep, mister?"

"I could say the same to you!" he snapped back, eyes scanning over him. "What the _heck _are you doing on the roof?!"

Jack shrugged as if it were no big deal. "It's pretty cool up here. Thought I'd say hey since your light was on."

Hiccup lowered his forehead into his hand and sighed. "What am I gonna do with you… You're gonna get hurt up there!"

"Hey, I think I've been doing a bang-up job on that one. I haven't fallen yet!"

"_Yet _being keyword!" Hiccup chuckled. "Get down from there, will 'ya? North's gonna find you and you're gonna get in trouble."

Jack jutted out his bottom lip. "Does this mean I can't come in?"

"Good _night _Jack." Hiccup insisted, closing his window again and pulling the curtain over it with a slight laugh. Jack sighed.

Why'd he have to be so difficult?

* * *

**Author's Note: **It feels like I haven't done anything with Stoick (Sven) other than just plop him into Hiccup's family, so I threw in a little of their relationship towards the end. I want to make it clear that **they have a very good relationship, but Hiccup is a lot closer to his mother.** I was also trying to be clever by making Jack's birthday the Winter solstice, and Hiccup's the day How to Train Your Dragon came out. Emma's was the release date for Rise of the Guardians. I like hiding little Easter eggs like that, and I hope you guys pick up on some of the teeny tiny ones I throw into each chapter.

Speaking of Easter eggs, I'll be introducing a new character next chapter. (_Wow_ I'm that wasn't as smooth as I intended) Thank you for your reviews and likes on Tumblr! They make me flail like a dork.


	4. Silent Night

**Author's Note: **I think writing this story is the best form of procrastinating my Chemistry project. Shh. Don't tell anyone! We're nearing the end of the 3rd grade chapters and the entrance of the 4th grade; so this is my warning to you now that the next chapter may skip over a year. We're also entering a new character introduction (this is a good one, I promise) in _this _chapter, and in the next. This is possibly another short chapter (I usually type these notes _before _I get going so I have a place to leave reminders for myself) so I apologize again. _Things will pick up in the 5__th__ grade and I __**already **__apologize for that. _The title's supposed to be my lame attempt at a joke. Also, I had virtually _no plans _for how I was going to introduce Elliot (guess who, dearies?) so a lot of his dialogue is me listening to my brother act like a dick around the house and me trying to model Elliot after him.

Argh. I wanted to skip this chapter because intros again and I had no solid plans down but… yeah. Next chapter (at least I know _one_ of you will) I think you'll like a bit more than this lazy, short one. Gawrsh I always intend for these stupid things to be short but they end up so long and awkwardly informative. Sorry guys. I'll quit babbling!

**Basic Overview: **The Christmas/Birthday party begins. Jack and Hiccup hang out at the party. North introduces them to an older boy named Elliot Aster; a high-schooler whose family lives down the road.

**Point of View: **3rd person: Jack

**Warnings: **A bit of cussing and alcohol (nothing painfully bad)

**Age Reminder: **Jack has turned 10; Emma is 6; Hiccup is 8

* * *

**Chapter 4: **Silent Night

**December 21****st**

* * *

Jack remembered springing out of his bed that morning.

He remembered spending about twenty minutes trying to get his hair to spike the way he wanted it to, and wasting another five or ten trying to figure out what t-shirt he wanted to wear. When he finally settled on a white t-shirt and his favorite button-up shirt, he sprinted down the hall with a smile on his face to fetch his sister. He remembered forgetting his socks and dancing around the hall in his bare feet like a dweeb (silently thanking whatever god permitted him to do so without getting caught) before tapping lightly on Emma's bedroom door. He remembered her not answering the door and peeking into her room to find her not there. Curiously, he shrugged it off and glanced at the hallway clock. It read 10:35.

To be completely honest, Jack was a bit impressed with himself that he could sleep in for that long.

He listened closely for a minute and noted the clatter of dishes coming from below. With a wide smile, he tip-toed down the stairs and carefully swung the corner. He was greeted by a symphony of disorganized "Happy birthdays" from Emma, North, and – well _hey_ look who it was – Hiccup. He noted Mr. and Mrs. Haddock on the couch in the living room and found himself giddy with excitement. He bounced into the kitchen with a grin on his face and noted the bowl of cake batter in Emma's tiny hands, and the frosting splattered across Hiccup's face. North had his usual jolly smile as he took the batter from Emma's hands and slowly poured it into a cupcake tray.

"Mornin' everybody," Jack chuckled as he made his way across the floor. He swiped some of the frosting off of Hiccup's face and smirked. The boy rolled his eyes. "You all seem really busy; anything I can do to help?"

North patted his head with a cheerful laugh. "If you want to help, you can help set-up, little one."

"I'm not little anymore, North." He crossed his arms and lifted his chin with pride. "I'm gonna be an adult soon. Ya' know. Give or take like, 8 years."

"Then you are little _man_, yes?" North's laugh rumbled across the room and he pat Jack's head. Jack shrugged it off, his smile still wide and his mood unwavering. They were eight hours away from the party and he was _already _excited. "Henrik, why don't you and Jack clean living room? Sven can take your place, right?" As if to ensure his statement, he turned to Mr. Haddock with a sideways glance.

Sven chuckled. "I can _try_."

"There is no try here, Sven; only succeed!"

The two men laughed heartily. Hiccup and Jack threw each other glares and shrugged, scurrying off.

* * *

Leaving the two of them in charge of the Christmas lights was probably the biggest mistake North could have ever have afforded to make.

He'd given them the honor of digging them out from the hallway closet and presented them with the seemingly _impossible _task of untangling them. Of course, Jack and Hiccup _refused _to admit defeat (it's just a bunch of stupid lights, what's the big deal?) and they plopped onto the wooden floors and fiddled with the knotted lights for a while. At first they seemed to have a decent pace; they chatted idly as they unraveled them and Hiccup occasionally let out a frustrated groan. Jack laughed. Hiccup had a knack for untangling knots and making _more _knots. Finally, when the lights came undone from their garbled mess of knots and crosses the boys cheered with excitement and shoveled them into their arms to show North.

Jack, being the excitable little klutz he was, tripped. So Hiccup sat back down for about two more hours trying to untangle _Jack _from the lights.

It wasn't the most amusing of tasks, but when he managed to squeeze his friend out they took extra caution as they slid down the stairs with them. Much to their dismay North had them go _back upstairs _to string the lights along the railing. It was Jack's turn to groan with utter _frustration. _Once the lights were done, Jack cleaned the windows while Hiccup swept the floor. And to say the least, set-up wasn't much fun for the first four hours.

Things picked up, however, when the chores were done and North allowed the two of them to play. Like they usually did, Hiccup and Jack hurried back up to Jack's room to hang out. Emma tagged along, and she sat with them, occasionally chiming in her thoughts or feelings on whatever came up. At one point, she offered that the three of them play dolls and (following Jack's less-than-polite decline) asked Hiccup if he wanted to play. Jack sniggered and snorted as Hiccup awkwardly attempted to decline with lame excuses Emma _always _seemed to have a solution to, and eventually spared him mercy by answering for him.

She eventually scurried off with the excuse that they were talking about "stupid boy stuff", though, leaving the two boys to aimlessly chat about whatever popped into their heads. Jack showed him some of his comic books and Hiccup went off about dragons a few times (Jack didn't really mind though; it was kind of interesting and he liked how _into_ them Hiccup was) until North called them back down. They scurried down the stairs and gaped at the sight before them.

The house looked awesome.

Mr. Haddock and North (Jack assumed) had put up the Christmas tree and Mrs. Haddock hung the decorations. Bright, colorful Christmas lights illuminated the entire house when North lowered the lights with a booming laugh. Dusty Christmas knick-knacks filled up the end tables and tinsel loosely hung from the living room ceiling. Everyone cheered and marveled at the work they'd gotten done, and with two hours to spare they sat down in the living room to talk. Hiccup and Jack, like always, snuck off.

* * *

"Remind me again what we're looking for?" Henrik asked, glancing over at his friend and noting the _intense _focus on his face. Jack had been observing the walls and ceilings of every room in the house for at least ten minutes, and he was started to get concerned. Jack peeked over at him, his expression never wavering.

"Mistletoe."

Henrik gulped. "Why would you _want _to find mistletoe?!"

"Cause North hangs it _somewhere _in the house _every _year and I _always _end up getting stuck under it with one of his _gross _friends!" he whined, still scanning the area. ""But _not _this year, no sir! I'm gonna find it and make sure I _don't _walk under it!"

Jack was so weird. Henrik carefully thought through his plan and noted the gaping hole present in it. "But what happens when you find it; wouldn't you _technically _have to walk under it to see it?"

The older paused, a look that said "whoops" making its way across his face. His eyes widened a bit and he turned to Henrik with a shrug. "…okay, _minor _setback. But nothing we can't think of a solution to!"

He rolled his eyes a bit. "We could split up?"

"Good thinking!" Jack smiled. He took the lower floor while Henrik was assigned the upper floor, and both boys hunted for the elusive mistletoe. And somehow – just like things _always _did between them – their little scavenger hunt became a race to see who could find it first. Henrik popped into each of the room hurriedly to find nothing and lazily stepped down the staircase in defeat. Jack waited at the bottom and both boys sighed. "Welp, I've got nothing. How 'bout you?"

Henrik shook his head and Jack pouted. "Maybe they didn't hang it up yet 'cause they knew you'd look for it?"

"Maybe." Jack huffed. "We just gotta pay _really _close attention when everybody gets here. I don't wanna have to kiss any gross adults, and you shouldn't have to either."

"Right!" Henrik nodded. He opened his mouth to add onto Jack's statement when he heard Emma sneaking down the stairs. Both boys turned to her when she started to giggle uncontrollably.

Jack raised an eyebrow. " 'ey, what're you laughing at?"

Emma pointed at the ceiling and both boys glanced up. Her giggles escalated when both boys glanced at each other in disgust. "Jack's gotta kiss Henrik!" she tittered in a sing-song voice.

_Of course. _Of course it was in the _one _place they didn't think to check.

"…found it." Henrik pointed upward, trying to break some of the tension with an awkward smile. Jack returned it, and they stood there uncomfortably, neither moving. "…_eh _whatever." The younger sighed, standing on his tip-toes to give his friend a quick peck on the cheek. Jack's eyes narrowed a bit and when Henrik pulled back he wiped his cheek with the back of his hand.

"Gross…" Jack huffed.

Henrik rolled his eyes.

* * *

Henrik didn't know it was possible to cram this many people in such a small house, yet North didn't seem to have a problem doing so.

The halls were littered with tall, laughing strangers and the boy could hardly see the walls. Tall figures obscured the lights on the ceiling and the music boomed; Henrik could hardly recognize what carol it was by the voices that blocked his hearing. He glanced around but couldn't find Jack; his parents were mingling and Emma was talking to some brunette kid and a blonde girl who looked about her age. All around him, he saw strangers who commented on how adorable he was (like _hell _he was cute; Henrik thought himself to be pretty tough) or how tiny he was (also not fair, since he was _still _growing) but couldn't find a sign of his friend. He frowned a bit, feeling the same overwhelming nervousness he'd felt on his first day of school settle in his belly again.

On his hunt for Jack, Henrik bumped into a skinny, punk-looking teenager who threw him a glare. He winced a bit when they looked down at him and rolled their eyes; the kid shoved past him and Henrik just sort of stood there, awkwardly watching him walk away with a guilty look on his face before shuffling into the living room. Finally, he spotted Jack bouncing around on the couch. Henrik smiled when the boy noted his presence.

"Hey! Hiccup!" he called through the noise loudly, waving at him as he let himself land on the floor. Jack hurried over to him, a wide smile on his face.

"It's crazy in here," Henrik tried to keep his voice loud, but his volume wavered; he wasn't really one for shouting. "I can hardly hear anything!"

"Told you it gets pretty nuts!" Jack chuckled, patting his friend on the head. "Hey, what time is it?"

The younger stood on his tip-toes to peek past a crowd of adults. "Uh… I _think _it's 7:49."

"Gotcha," Jack stood closer to the boy, let his voice lower a bit. "We're probably gonna have to head up soon, then. Any idea where Emma is?"

Henrik nodded his head and the eldest boy smiled. "Then let's grab her and head up!"

He made a small "come on" gesture with his hand and the two of them sped between rooms, being _awfully _careful not to get too close to the mistletoe above the staircase. When they reached the kitchen and noticed the young girl waving goodnight to the two kids from before, Jack strided over to her with a smile. He high-fived the brunette kid as he left and patted Emma on the head. "It's almost 8 o'clock, squirt. We gotta head up."

"Aww…" she pouted before peeking over at Henrik. She smiled a bit when he looked back at her. "But it was fun while it lasted, right?"

Henrik nodded and Emma giggled. Jack raised an eyebrow and smirked a bit. The three of them started for the stairs but were stopped when North's familiar voice boomed across the kitchen.

"Jack! Emma! I have someone I want you to meet!" he chuckled jollily. [**Author's Note: **Try saying that word out loud; it makes me angry because I can't pronounce it] North gestured to the lean figure of a boy beside him, whose long hair was an awkward mix of grey and blue (Henrik assumed it was dyed) and tied back in a pretty loose ponytail. His arms were covered in the _weirdest _navy blue patterns; in the low lighting, Henrik had to squint for a moment before determining they weren't sleeves or bands, but tattoos. Henrik swallowed. Something about the way he looked was intimidating.

"Name's Elliot. Elliot Aster." He sighed. Henrik raised an eyebrow; he hadn't taken Elliot as someone who'd haven Australian accent at first glance.

North chuckled. "He is close family friend. Elliot, these are my kids; Jack and Emma, and their friend Henrik."

Henrik peeked over at Jack and noticed him and Elliot staring each other down intensely. Something about the way Elliot's expression shifted into one of anger along with Jack's smirk told Henrik they didn't exactly get along. They spoke in unison, "We've met."

"Can't say it's a pleasure to see ya, mate." Elliot crossed his arms and narrowed his dull green eyes. "I was sort of hoping you'd have gotten arrested by now."

Jack's smirk widened and he broke their stare down for a moment to laugh. "You're not still _mad_ at me, are you?"

The teen's expression didn't waver. He spat coldly, "Yes."

"Hey, there is no arguing on this night," North glanced down at Jack, and the boy stepped back a bit, his smirk thinning slightly. Henrik blinked a bit. He'd never seen his friend seem that intimidated before. "It is time for celebration!"

* * *

Shortly following North's cheers and Jack blowing out the candles of his cake, the adults started getting loopy like they did every year.

Jack even noticed Mr. Haddock wobbling along with North in the living room while he was sneaking a second slice! It struck him as funny; generally when Jack got a glimpse of Mr. Haddock he seemed pretty resilient and… well, downright _stoic_. Now he had two bottles of what Emma had called Loopy Juice and the guy was almost as jolly as North. He couldn't choke back his laughter when he nearly tripped over his own two feet. Just as they usually did, things started to get even _louder _as the adults drank, forcing the kids to flee upstairs to avoid the ruckus. They had some trouble getting up the stairs, though, since Jack was ever-so paranoid about that _stupid _mistletoe dangling above the first step. Emma suggested they go one at a time, so Jack _flew _up the stairs first and let the other two follow behind him.

Emma followed too closely behind Hiccup, so the boy ended up having to give her a kiss on the cheek. And Jack sniggered when his sister's cheeks lit up brighter than any of the lights on the railing.

The boys wandered into Jack's room to play while Emma opted to go to bed; before they did anything, Jack made sure to carefully tuck her in and shut her door, flicking on her nightlight on the way out. He hurried back into his room and shut his door behind him, turning to face Hiccup with a wide smile. They played their usual Knight game that never grew tiresome, even pretending the floor was made of lava so they'd hop around the room stepping on stray t-shirts and books scattered across the floor.

Hiccup called a time-out at around 11:00 to catch his breath, letting himself crash down into the bean-bag by the window with an audible huff. Jack sat on the floor in front of him, a smile across his face as he eagerly watched the clock on his nightstand. The moment it clicked to 11:21, Jack sprung from his place on the floor and cheered loudly.

"Is there any particular reason you're being a bigger doof than usual?" Hiccup laughed, confusion written across his half-smiling face.

Jack raised his chin triumphantly and crossed his arms with a wide smirk. "As of _right now _I'm 10 years old, so you better watch yourself 'cause I'm the big kid now!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah…" the younger shook his head. As Jack gloated, he peeked out the window and noticed the view of his own window the boy had. It reminded him of something. "Oh… right. When am I supposed to go home?"

Jack thought carefully for a moment. "…that's a good question. I have no idea."

"I think my Dad's a little too loopy to make it home, let alone walk in a straight line."

"Hee. North's about there too." Jack chuckled. "I guess you're sleeping over then."

"You sure it'd be okay?"

"Well…" The older boy scratched the back of his neck. "Considering _neither _of our parents are in a position to say no, I'd say it's fine."

Hiccup smiled widely. "But I don't have any pajamas or anything."

"No worries," Jack replied, striding over to his dresser and pulling out a random black T-shirt. He tossed it at Hiccup and giggled when he fumbled to catch it, instead letting it smack him in the face. "You can borrow it for the night."

* * *

Henrik nodded and scurried off to the bathroom while Jack changed. After carefully shutting the door, he slipped into his friend's t-shirt and was surprised by how much bigger it was on him. The hole for his head dipped low on his neck, letting his freckled collarbone peek out slightly. The sleeves were a bit loose on his arms (mostly because they were bony), the fabric hardly clinging to his skin and loosely dangling. The end of the shirt just barely brushed the middle of his thighs and Henrik frowned a bit, finally noticing just how _short _he was in comparison to his friend. It was weird. Jack didn't really look that tall or much bigger than he was at a glance but now Henrik could tell clear as day that he was.

He shrugged it off and tapped at Jack's door, stepping back into the room when he heard him say it was okay.

Jack sniggered a bit from his bed, noting his friend's appearance. "Man, you're puny."

"I'm still growing…" Henrik pouted, blowing his bangs out of his forehead. He shut Jack's door and walked over, glancing around the room. "Want me to sleep on the floor?"

Jack shook his head and pat the bed. Henrik stared at him confusedly.

"Well don't just stand there." He chuckled, making a get-over-here gesture with his hands. "I don't bite. Or at least not _hard_."

Henrik smiled and climbed up, the two of them fumbling with the covers as they crawled under. He shifted to lie on his side, while Jack sprawled himself across the mattress on his back. They chatted for a while; neither _quite _tired enough to fall asleep. When silence settled itself between them, Henrik interjected: "So that Elliot guy… he doesn't seem to like you very much."

He didn't even have to _look _at him to tell he was smirking. "Can't say I blame him."

"How'd you meet him?"

Jack turned his head to look at his friend and shut his eyes, his smirk broadening more. Henrik could _already_ tell this wasn't going to be a good story. "Mischief night last year. I egged his house and his parents got pretty miffed."

Henrik glared at him incredulously. "_Why _would you do that?!"

"What?" The eldest laughed, amused with himself. "I thought it'd be funny. Got grounded for… er… 2 weeks I think, but it was pretty worth it."

He sighed, rubbing his eyes with his hand. "Jack, I think you might just be crazy."

"Maybe," Jack yawned, stretching his arms a bit dramatically. "But at least being crazy's more fun. Hey, I think I'm gonna hit the hay."

Henrik peeked over at him. "Alright. Night, Jack."

Jack smiled over at him comfortably. "Night, Hiccup."

* * *

Jack wasn't entirely sure _what _he dreamt of that night, but he remembered jolting awake with an uncomfortable pinch of adrenaline in his body.

He remembered sitting up and literally _feeling _the darkness looming in his room, his heart pounding and his head spinning wildly as he adjusted to reality once more. He remembered shifting a bit and accidentally knocking his knee into Hiccup's side, the younger boy's expression tensing a bit on impact. He remembered mouthing "I'm sorry", his voice failing him as he gasped for air, and feeling a rush of comfort when the boy relaxed a bit. Jack remembered the silence beneath Hiccup's slight breaths and watching his chest rise and fall for a while; he let his finger poke the boy in the arm to assure him that this was, in fact, real.

_Another nightmare_, he assumed, sighing to himself as his heartbeat slowed.

He couldn't quite shake the fleeting tremors of panic that raked through his body, so he took a few deep breaths and focused on the moonlight shining through the window. It chased away the darkness, its light illuminating the other half of his room in a wondrous silvery glow. Jack sighed, taking in the light with drooping eyes. Whatever he dreamt was over, and he knew he was safe as the Man in the Moon shined through the window panes, drawing shadowy outlines across the floor.

He let his shoulder slump a bit, the tension in them slowly easing away as he took a moment to just _breathe_. Jack let his eyes flutter shut and he refocused his thoughts to the brighter side of his life; Hiccup was sleeping over, and the party was a lot of fun. He focused on the good times and let his back hit the mattress again, happier memories flittering behind his eyelids busily as sleep apologetically lulled him unconscious once more.

When he finally drifted into his dreams and his breathing regained its steady pace, Hiccup opened one eye and peeked over at him curiously, still fumbling between reality and sleep. He'd woken up when the boy sat up gasping for air but pretended to stay asleep so Jack wouldn't feel bad about waking him up. Hiccup wasn't entirely sure what was wrong or why Jack was acting so strangely, but felt a lot calmer when the boy finally fell back asleep and laid on his side so they faced each other. Hiccup watched his expression carefully, noting the peaceful blankness of his face as he slept. He closed his eyes, shrugging off the entire incident.

Jack was really strange.

* * *

**Author's Note: **And suddenly I feel horrible for writing Jack's panic attack better than anything else in this stupid chapter. Next chapter we _finally _start the 4th grade and the pace kicks up a little! Sorry this one was a tad dreadful! I'm working on another project along side of this, and once I get this up (I wrote this little bit before I finished) I'll be posting it. It's M-rated and my source of procrastination for all those times I _really _didn't wanna work on the next chapter, so that'll be fun and embarrassing when it's up.

Thank you for reading once again and dear _gods _I'm sorry my author's notes are always so long.


	5. Secrets

**Author's Note: **I'm actually excited for this intro. I don't have much for this author's note, surprisingly enough, so I'll let the overview do all the talking.

**Basic Overview: **Hiccup finds a small, stray puppy and Jack wants to help him convince his Dad to keep him. Hiccup names him Toothless, due to the puppy being so young that he doesn't have his teeth.

**Point of View: **3rd person: Jack

**Warnings: **Nothing I can think of, pleasantly enough! All I'll say is **we've skipped a year forward**.

**Age Reminder: **Jack is 11 (4th grade); Hiccup is 10 (4th grade); Emma is 8 (2nd grade)

* * *

**Chapter Five: **Secrets

**April 22****nd**** – Spring Break**

* * *

Hiccup was really starting to piss Jack off.

When the school bell rung the Friday before, Hiccup and Jack spent their entire bus ride home talking about all the plans they were going to make for Spring Break. Jack mentioned the beach and Hiccup wanted the two of them to build a fort in the backyard; they babbled and blurted out whatever stupid ideas popped into their heads. The first day of their break held a lot of promise; the two boys walked down the block with Emma and Mrs. Haddock to the park to play on the play scape. Overall, it was a fantastic day. They stayed in the park for a good duration of it, pretending to be wizards and dragon tamers as they climbed up the towers and swung across the monkey bars.

That night, Jack walked over to Hiccup's window and asked if he wanted to come on the roof. And he _actually _managed to get him to sit on the roof with him that night so they could talk and watch the stars. The older boy ended up having to carry Hiccup back into his room; he fell asleep while they were lying down so Jack carefully lifted him and wiggled through the window, putting him back in his room carefully. Of course, he _may _or may not have let the boy slip from his arms at one point, and he _may _or may not have landed on the floor with a loud clatter, and Jack _may _or may not have left him there when he heard Mrs. Haddock call for Henrik from the floor below. Okay I know what you're thinking, but in Jack's defense, Hiccup was a lot heavier than Emma. Cut him some slack; he _tried_. All kidding and falling aside, Jack had the courage to call it a perfect day.

So what about this angered him? Oh, nothing really; just the fact that they _only _hung out on Saturday.

It was already Tuesday and _every _time Jack wanted to hang out, Hiccup told him he was busy. Jack had a sense of humor about this stuff, but he was cancelling plans they'd made _weeks _ago! Maybe it was silly, but he was getting really mad with him; he liked playing with Emma, but he was beginning to miss his buddy. And he was pretty excited to hang out with him over break; school was becoming a major pain now, so half the time they got to spend with each other was Hiccup helping him study for a History quiz, or hour long team-ups to figure out how the _heck_ they were supposed to do long division.

What pissed him off even more was when Hiccup wasn't even _doing _anything. Jack would peek out his window and see him sitting in his room reading or staring at the clock. He understood if the kid wanted some time to himself, but he didn't have to _lie _and say he was busy if he just wanted to read. Of course, he also tried to dismiss his lie as Hiccup being his usual shy self, but that didn't change that it made Jack mad.

But Wednesday morning was _particularly_ peculiar.

Jack went about his usual morning routine; he picked out his clothes and hopped in the shower quickly, and ran down the hall when he was done to fetch his sister. They ate breakfast with North and laughed and had a blast talking to him – all according to plan. But when Jack and Emma scurried into the living room and plopped themselves down on the couch, Jack glanced out the window and noticed Hiccup sneaking out the backdoor of his house with a small black backpack slung over his shoulders. He had to double-take at the sight. Hiccup? _Disobeying?_ Sneaking around?

Nuh-uh. That was _not _Hiccup. Something was up, and it had to be something _bad _if Hiccup had to sneak around to do it.

Jack's curiosity got the best of him. He wondered just what kind of situation called his usually well-behaved friend to blatantly break the rules. Was he doing something stupid? And if he was, why didn't he ask Jack to join him; he should _know _by now that he was up for mischief any day of the week! He was actually _offended! _He brushed it off that morning to avoid making himself too mad while he and Emma played, but it buzzed in his head angrily as they played hopscotch in the driveway.

That night while they sat on the roof, he subtly nudged his friend toward the topic. He sat beside his friend and reminded him – in a _totally _casual way, of course – that Hiccup could tell him anything, and that if he were in trouble it'd be okay to ask Jack for help. Unfortunately, his kindly reminders failed to get anything out of the boy, and they bid each other good nights before climbing back inside. Jack fell asleep with an uneasy feeling in his stomach. Why couldn't Hiccup just tell him what was up?

The same thing happened at least _three times _on Thursday; he left in the morning, after lunch, and Jack caught him tip-toeing back inside before they hung out on the roof. Just like the day before, he had that stupid black backpack slung across his shoulders _every time _he left – Jack started picking up on a pattern with it, too. He left with it puffed out like it was full, and always came back with it empty. It was weird, like he was bringing something somewhere and just ditching it afterwards.

When it repeated on Friday, Jack was starting to get suspicious. Hiccup was _definitely _up to something fishy.

They hung out on the roof like usual on Friday night. Jack slipped into his pajamas at 8:30 like he usually did and slid out his window, waiting for Hiccup to crawl out the window and join him and pretend Jack didn't just _see him _come in the back door beforehand. Something about this new routine was bothering him. He hated the feeling that Hiccup was hiding things from him – mostly because Jack just sort of blabbed about everything on his mind around him comfortably – and he hated how Hiccup felt the need to lie about what he was doing. The anger he started out with at the beginning of the week was turning into a feeling of sorrow. He didn't understand. He told the boy everything and anything and his friend was keeping secrets.

He hugged his knees close to his chest as he waited, the wind blowing a gentle breeze apologetically across his skin and through his hair. He glanced up at the sky and noted the absence of the Man in the Moon. Jack frowned. Even the _moon _was hiding from him.

"Hey, Jack!"

A familiar voice rang through the air, cheerful in tone. Jack peeked over at the neighboring roof and smiled lazily when Hiccup sat down next to him. He turned his attention to the stars above, purposely avoiding his gaze. "Hey Hiccup."

Hiccup's smile thinned a bit. "You okay, Jack?"

"Peachy," he replied with a sigh. From the corner of his eye he could see Hiccup shrug and lay back on the roof to look up at the stars too. Silence settled between them and Jack could _feel _that horrendous sorrow settle in his belly again. Hiccup wasn't going to say anything about this, was he? It bothered him, and Jack tried to clear his mind of the thought that his _best _friend was lying to him because it made that sinking feeling _worse_.

He swallowed the thick lump in his throat and managed to inquire, "Hey, Hiccup; can we hang out tomorrow?"

Hiccup shook his head and Jack's heart sunk again. "Sorry… I'm busy again."

"Huh? _Again?_" Jack sprawled his legs out, letting them loose from his arms. "You're really killin' me, Hiccup; we haven't hung out all week."

"I'm sorry Jack…" he mumbled, remorse evident in his voice.

Jack rolled his eyes a bit and sniggered. He _actually _sounded sorry. "…Ehh… I _guess _it's alright. I'll cut you some slack cause I like you." Jack paused and thought carefully for a moment. "What's got you so busy anyways? You join a club or something?"

"No… I've been uh… busy with homework."

Something about the dorky stutter and the way he had to _think _of an answer set off a red flag in Jack's head. He raised an eyebrow and narrowed his eyes a bit as he watched Hiccup sit up properly. "It's spring break, ya' doof. What 'homework' are you doing?"

Hiccup paused. "I uhh…"

_Gotcha. _Jack smirked triumphantly and poked his friend in the cheek. "Hiccup, you're not _lying _to me, are you? 'Cause you know that I know when you're lying. Mostly 'cause you're a bad liar, but that's not my point."

"O-of course not! Why would I lie to you, Jack? You're my best friend."

Hiccup was dropping the best friend card. Jack _knew _something was up. "…hmm… I dunno, man. You're acting pretty weird lately."

They stared each other for a moment, guilt gleaming in Hiccup's unusually dull green eyes and suspicion making itself known in Jack's blue ones. As silence built between them, Hiccup outstretched his arms and yawned loudly (and _forcedly, _Jack might add) "Listen, I've gotta go…" he smiled softly at his friend and stood. "But we can hang out tomorrow night, okay?"

Jack tried his hardest to feign anger but Hiccup's dorky little smile made him snort. "Ehhh… fine. But you better be serious this time!"

"I am! Cross my heart!" And as if to validate what he was saying, the little doofus drew a little X over his chest with his thumb. He smiled widely at Jack before turning to his house to climb in the window. He looked back at him once more and waved. "Night, Jack!"

He climbed inside and once he heard Hiccup close the curtains, Jack hugged his knees again, a slight relief blowing by him with the springtime breeze. He glanced up at the sky and drew random patterns in the stars mentally. The sorrow in his stomach eased and he shut his eyes for a moment, letting the wind blow his hair back and the starlight barely dust the top of his head.

"…good night, Hiccup."

* * *

Saturday morning he watched Hiccup sneak out the backdoor from the living room as he and Emma watched cartoons.

But this time was different; Jack took the initiative to pay close attention to which direction he was leaving in, and noticed that he was heading for the woods in back of the houses. It perplexed him immensely; what the _heck _was he doing in the woods three times a day? He had half a mind to follow him, but Emma would probably tell North where he was going and get him busted. He couldn't take the risk, so he brushed it off. He played dolls with her for a little while, before Emma opted to take a nap around one in the afternoon and hurried upstairs. Jack read comic books on the roof for the rest of the day.

He spotted Hiccup sneaking back in when night fell, and – risking getting the boy busted – called down to him as he went to step through the back door, "HEY! HICCUP!"

The younger boy jumped and looked up at him from the back of the house, his eyes wide and his expression guilt-ridden. Jack smirked. He totally _caught _him in the act, and there was _no way _Hiccup was getting out of this one. He waved at the boy and his smile broadened when he waved back shakily. About thirty minutes later, Hiccup's window cracked open and out he came. This was his chance.

Jack let a smile creep across his face when he saw Hiccup carefully shuffle across the rooftops to sit beside him. "Hey Hiccup!"

"H-Hey Jack!" he smiled back, voice a bit shaky. Jack couldn't help but laugh at how _horrible _he was at hiding things. "What's up?"

"Not much." He exhaled, letting his eyes move up to the sky. "What about you? Have any hot dates today?"

Hiccup raised an eyebrow. "Hot dates? What's that supposed to mean?"

"I dunno; I hear North say it all the time though." Jack chuckled. "But I saw you coming in earlier; where the heck have you been?"

"W-What do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb; you think I don't see you sneaking out the back door?" Jack poked his nose with a bit of anger and narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Where've you been going, Haddock? You're acting weirder than usual."

Hiccup fumbled for an answer and it was starting to annoy Jack. He could _tell _he was readying a lie and he didn't want to hear it.

"I-I uh… I-I…" the boy stuttered, scratching the back of his neck nervously and avoiding eye contact.

Jack rolled his eyes and put on a mocking voice. "Duhhhhh I uh duhhh." He sighed heavily and brushed his bangs out of his forehead. "Come on, dude. We're friends. You can tell me _anything_."

Hiccup remained silent, and Jack peeked over at him. His heart sank a little when he noticed him shrinking back, his fingers curled into fists and tucked close to his chest. It reminded him of the day they'd first met, how he cowered behind his little stuffed dragon and peeked up at him with shy eyes. Jack frowned. He'd let his emotions get the best of him, and now he felt bad for pressuring him. Crap. Jack was bad with apologies but he felt really bad.

"…sorry." He all but mumbled, pulling his knees close to his chest again and letting his chin rest on them. "If you don't wanna tell me you don't have to."

Hiccup shifted his legs to sit Indian styled. "I-It's okay."

They sat in silence for a moment, before the boy gulped audibly and quietly interjected, "Hey, Jack?"

Jack peeked up at him with a nod.

He watched Hiccup open and close his mouth hesitantly; forming words but mentally back-spacing them. His expression was weird, as if he were deeply considering something. When he finally spoke, he took a deep breath and turned to Jack with a serious expression on his face. "…think you can keep a secret?"

Jack's eyes widened. Was he serious? "Well… yeah, but you don't have to if–"

"You have to promise me!" Hiccup said a bit louder, his voice slightly demanding. Jack jumped a bit at the sudden change in volume. "Promise you won't tell _anyone _no matter what!"

The eldest held out his pinky and looked Hiccup in the eyes, his expression matching his friend's serious one. "I _pinky _promise not to tell anyone."

Hiccup took his pinky and they nodded at each other, smiles working across their faces. The younger boy took a deep breath and exhaled sharply. "…then I wanna show you something."

Jack raised an eyebrow, watching with slight shock when Hiccup stood to head back to his window. "…wait, like _now?_"

"Yes, now!" he shot back before glancing downward. "Oh. You might want shoes, though."

Jack glanced down at his feet too and groaned. "Do I _have _to wear shoes?"

Hiccup didn't answer him. He didn't even turn around; he made this cocky little 'come on' gesture with his hand and slid through his window, expecting Jack to follow. Jack looked back at his room and sighed; he quickly grabbed his sandals off the edge of the roof and followed Hiccup into his room through the cracked window.

* * *

Wherever they were going, Jack got the impression that Hiccup _really _didn't want his parents knowing he was gone.

He didn't grab very much from his room; just a light green hoodie and a pair of loose hiking boots he lazily tied, as well as his little black bag and a flashlight on his nightstand. He opened his bedroom door slowly, peeking into the hallway cautiously before he cracked it enough to slip out. As they stood in the hall, Jack whispered, "Where are we going?" but Hiccup shushed him and glanced down the stairs. A dim light shined from the left archway, so he made the little "come on" gesture with his hand again, and the two boys tip-toed down the hall and staircase. They carefully swung the corner, and Hiccup nodded towards the back door of the house.

He let it slide open with a hushed creak, and both boys hurried outside.

Before trekking further, Hiccup clicked his flashlight on and peeked back at Jack. He followed after the younger boy when they headed into the woods and clung to his side closely; unsure of _where _exactly it was they were going and _why _it was apparently better to go at night rather than wait for the next day. Nevertheless, he blindly trailed behind him (probably a poor decision on his part, but whatever) until Hiccup stopped dead in his tracks, letting his flashlight skim over their surroundings.

Jack thought he heard a small yipping sound for a minute. "Uh… Hiccup?"

"One sec." Hiccup replied, flashing his light on a small cardboard box beneath a crudely crafted lean-to made out of sticks and leaves. If he looked a bit closer, he could notice what looked like the end of a pillow poking out of it. Jack raised an eyebrow and watch closely as his friend handed him the flashlight. He directed its shine on whatever it was Hiccup was doing bent over the box and – wait, what even _was _that?

Jack's eyes locked on a tiny black puff ball in Hiccup's arms. The boy seemed to hold it close and as Jack shined some light on it, he noticed two little green eyes peeking up at him. He jumped a bit.

Hiccup took a deep breath and held him out, letting Jack get a closer look at him. "Jack, this is my dog, Toothless."

From closer up, Jack noted how tiny the little guy was; he hardly looked a year old, let alone more than six _months_. His fur was messy, in short little black tufts across his figure. The most notable feature on the puppy that Jack could really distinguish in the low lighting was the greens of his eyes. They sort of reminded him of Hiccup's, only they held a more animalistic intensity to them. Toothless peered up at him sleepily, growling slightly when the boy reached out to pet him. Jack pulled his hand back and the little guy curled right into Hiccup's arms a bit more with an itty bitty yawn.

Even if he _did _hate Jack at first glance, he had to say he was downright _adorable_.

"Your dog?" Jack asked, still gaping at the little ball of Jack-hating adorableness Hiccup was holding. "How long have you had him?"

Hiccup patted Toothless's head and held him close. He had a slight smile on his face that Jack found contagious. "I found him Sunday morning when Dad had me check the mail. I heard him crying from the woods and when I found him, he was all alone… no collar or other puppies or anything."

Jack gestured toward his backpack. "So… this is where you've been?"

"Yeah," the younger sighed, watching carefully as Toothless fell asleep again in his arms. "I didn't wanna just leave him alone cause I felt bad. And look how little he is!" As if to show him, he held him up Lion King style and Jack chuckled a bit. "He's a squirt! So young he doesn't even have _teeth _to chomp on other puppies with!"

As if to prove it, he wiggled a finger along the puppy's jaw and Jack noted his lack of teeth. He wasn't kidding.

"There's no _way _he could've held his own out here, and he looked so lost and lonely. I dunno. I found him and I knew I wanted to help him out."

Something about the way Hiccup had chosen to word that struck Jack. He thought back to their first day of school together and remembered the look on Hiccup's face when he stepped off the bus: lost and lonely, just like Hiccup described Toothless. His choice in words amused him. "He sounds a lot like you, actually."

Hiccup peeked over at him, thought carefully for a moment, and sighed. "Yeah. I dunno… I looked at him and I… saw myself."

Jack smiled. The look on his face was admittedly cute. "So why leave him here, then?"

Hiccup looked over at him with wide eyes. "Huh?"

"Well I mean… if you wanna take care of him, why not bring him home? Ask your parents if it's cool to keep him?"

Hiccup frowned a bit. "My Dad _hates _dogs. I don't wanna bring him home and just have to leave him later."

Oh. That'd do it. The look on his face was heartbreaking; his eyes lowered to the little runt in his arms, a smile tugging at his lips. Jack got the impression he _really _liked the little guy, and it really sucked to watch his friend get so close to him without being able to take him home. He wanted to help him out, but he wasn't sure how.

"Well, you can't just let that stop you!" Jack snapped a bit. "I mean, if you really wanna keep him and you _really _want to help Toothless, then you'd at _least _try to convince your Dad, right? Even if he says no just go for it!"

Hiccup gaped at him. They locked eyes for a minute and Hiccup fumbled for a response before sighing and putting Toothless back into his make-shift bed. "I-I guess so."

"Don't guess, man," Jack put a hand on his shoulder and smiled at him. "Look, I've got your back on this one. I'm not entirely sure _what_ I can do to help… but if there's anything I _can _do let me know."

The younger boy smiled back at him too, and nodded. He made sure Toothless was comfortable before the two of them headed back for the houses.

* * *

Whenever Hiccup went to play with Toothless the next day, Jack decided to tag along.

It was surprisingly a lot of fun playing with the little squirt, Jack found, especially since he seemed to have a disdain for him and whenever he went to nip his fingers it tickled a bit. The little fur ball was growing on him, and to be honest he found Hiccup's love for the little guy _ridiculously_ adorable. He was still pretty young, so when he ran he sort of wobbled but he'd always make his way over to Hiccup when he called for him. It had only been a few days and Jack could already tell those two were becoming best friends too.

They came up with an entire strategy for getting Mr. Haddock to say yes. Jack suggested that Hiccup _really _suck up to him by doing his chores and homework, but Hiccup insisted he ask him Mom beforehand, claiming she'd probably back him up just in case. When Jack asked what made him so sure he'd agree if his Mom did, and Hiccup simply smiled and replied, "Because if you say no to Mom about anything you're probably gonna regret it." Jack decided to take his word on that one and they chatted excitedly.

It wasn't until that fateful Monday morning before school that Jack woke up with a groan (he _really _didn't wanna go back) and sprang from his bed to peek across the roof at Hiccup. He waited for a few minutes before Hiccup woke up and gave him a thumbs up, alerting him that their plan would be taking fruition. Jack watched him close the curtain to change, and he decided it was time for him to do so as well. He hurriedly picked out a plain white t-shirt and a pair of loose blue jeans and slipped into them, speeding down the hall to wake up his sister and start their morning.

* * *

"How'd it go? Your Mom say yes?"

Hiccup laughed before plopping self-down on the bus seat next to Jack with a smile. "Mom doesn't seem to mind as long as I take good care of him. Now we just gotta wait for her to talk to Dad and I _think_ we're home free!"

Jack grinned, ruffling his friend's hair a bit. "How cool is this? You get to come home to Toothless!"

"Maybe," he reminded him, a more serious look settling in his eyes. "My Dad _still _doesn't like dogs so it's sort of a split down the middle with this one."

The older boy chuckled. "Well hopefully things work out. I'm starting to like the little guy, even if he _is _trying to bite my fingers off."

Hiccup grinned. "I think that means he likes you."

"Or that I taste good. I bet he's sizing me up so he can chomp me down when he gets his teeth!"

The two boys shared a laugh for a moment, the joy between them radiant. Hiccup chuckled. "Now _that _I'd pay to see."

Classes dragged on that day as both boys were _itching _with excitement. Every time Jack glanced at the clock he felt time slow more, to such a point that History dragged on so long he had to excuse himself to the bathroom due to boredom. Each moment tick-tocked by _tediously _sluggish, until the final bell rang and both boys practically _flew _down the hallways.

* * *

"You seem really happy today, Jack!"

Jack glanced up from his mashed potatoes at his sister and smiled widely. He was so excited to head up to the rooftops and hear about Toothless that night he'd been zoning out all day. He ate a quick spoonful of them and chuckled. "I sure am. Hiccup and I had a lot of fun the last few days and I guess I'm in a good mood."

Emma giggled. "Seems like it! I'm glad you got to see him over break. What were you guys doing, anyways?"

Jack took another bite of his food a downed half his glass of milk. North even jumped into their conversation. "I'd like to know too; I knock on Sven's door yesterday and he said you were not there. I could not find you two anywhere."

Jack thought for a minute before answering. He finished off his food and rinsed his dishes, carefully putting them away before turning to them with a satisfied smile.

"I can't say. It's Hiccup and I's secret."

* * *

Jack couldn't run fast enough to the rooftops that night.

He sped up the stairs after thanking North for dinner and rinsing the dishes at a record speed, even getting yelled at for going too fast. He glanced out his window, noticing Hiccup walking out of their hiding spot in the woods with Toothless tucked in his arms. A smile crept across his face as he watched Hiccup head inside, and the boy rushed to throw on his pajamas before slipping out onto the rooftop. He waited for a while, a smile wide across his face and excitement bubbling in his belly.

Above him, the Man in the Moon just barely showed his face. The crescent shape was so thin it almost reminded Jack of a bite mark, and he giggled to himself before laying his back against the roof to stare at the stars. The night sky was littered with puffy, grey clouds whose outlines just barely showed. It was oddly pretty, Jack thought to himself, and he noted the calmingly cool breeze that seemed to brush by him and caress his skin. It blew his bangs in his face, so he brushed them away with his fingers and glanced over at Hiccup's window.

His curtain was still closed, and he faintly heard chattering. He could recognize a louder, deeper rumble and could immediately distinguish it as Mr. Haddock's. Two voices went back and forth; Mr. Haddock's and a more hushed, high-pitched voice that he could tell belonged to Hiccup. He tried to listen and pick out bits and pieces but nothing was clear. He heard a low grumble and a door shut and when the curtain opened and Hiccup's window cracked, he hurried over.

"So, you got a puppy or what?" he asked with a grin as he carefully climbed through and into his friend's room.

His smile fell, however, when he noticed Hiccup's down expression and how his eyes were lowered to Toothless, who was wagging his tail and sitting on his lap. "No… Dad doesn't think it's a good idea."

Jack sat beside his friend, his heart sinking a bit. He patted his back reassuringly. "Sorry, man."

Hiccup sighed and smiled sadly. "Eh… it's alright. I should've known. At least he's letting Toothless spend the night. Then we take him to the shelter in the morning."

"…this is so not fair." Jack pouted, extending a digit toward Toothless who nipped it harmlessly. "I'm… sorry, Hiccup."

The boy hugged the guy close to him and sighed. Toothless yipped and snuggled into him, and Jack could almost _feel _his own heart tearing in half.

"It's alright. At least we tried."

* * *

Jack went to sleep ready to cry that night.

He curled up into a ball on his bed without rolling under the covers and just hugged his stuffed bunny on the verge of tears. He knew how happy Toothless made Hiccup and felt responsible for getting him take away from him. He hated this and he hated himself and he hated how _unfair _this all was. Jack buried his face into his pillow and sighed.

He should have never said anything. He screwed up _bad_, just like he always did.

Jack wallowed in his own self-hatred for a little while longer, beating himself up despite the small light in his mind that begged him not to. And somehow, it lulled him into the most uncomfortable state of sleep.

* * *

_Tap. Tap. Tap._

Jack rolled over onto his back, tensing his eyebrows a bit. He clenched his eyes shut and tried to ignore the shy little taps, letting sleep call him forward once more comfortably, his shoulders slumping and his heartbeat slowing –

_Taptaptaptaptap._

Or not. That worked too. Who needs sleep, anyways?

Jack sat up in his bed lethargically, stretching his arms out and yawning loudly before he let his eyes flutter open slightly. He adjusted his eyes to the slur of reality and swung his legs over the side of the bed, his feet just barely touching the floor as he slumped down a bit. He skimmed his eyes around the room, at first peeking at his door (which apparently he'd left wide open) and then to his window.

He noted the figure of a person outside and neared the window to get a better look.

"Jack, wake up! Dude!"

Jack sighed. It was Hiccup. He cracked open his window to let him in and the younger boy climbed in with ease, the slight moonlight peeking in illuminating the smile on his face. Jack waved at him and groggily greeted him, "Hey, Hiccup."

Hiccup didn't speak. He shot forward and wrapped his arms around the half-conscious brunette's lean figure and _squeezed_. Maybe Jack was still sleepily imagining things, but he could've sworn he heard his spine crack somewhere in there. Who knew Hiccup was strong?

"…you okay, man?" he asked, an eyebrow raised. "You seem pretty happy for someone who just lost his dog."

The younger boy's smile widened. "Not lost. My Dad agreed."

"…okay. I'm dreaming." Jack mumbled, his attention finally caught and his focus regained. "What do you mean your Dad agreed? I thought he _hated _dogs."

"I guess my Mom talked him into it!" Hiccup cheered; his smile was contagious even to a half-conscious Jack. He hugged the older boy again, gripping onto him tightly with a smile as Jack stiffened a bit. "Thanks, Jack."

Jack smiled too and wrapped his arms around the younger boy, noticing just how _skinny _he was when he held him. "Thanks for what? I don't _think _I did anything."

Hiccup didn't answer. He just thanked him over and over and held tighter to him. Jack wasn't entirely sure what that meant so he held onto him snugly with a smile and patted his head when he pulled back. And when Hiccup made his way back, Jack found himself watching him hop across the roof tops (a skip in his step, the little dork) with a wide grin.

He wasn't sure why Hiccup had come over to thank him, but it made him feel warm inside.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Was that fluffy enough? I need more fluffing for you guys. I _literally _sat down at 8pm and finished this chapter at 1:30am. It flowed pretty nicely and I'm proud of it in comparison to the crap last chapter. Welcome to the 4th grade, guys! We're only 1 grade away from perpetual feels! *ahem ahem* Thank you for all your reviews and likes on Tumblr you guys are so cute!


	6. Jack's Lament

**Author's Note: **I didn't particularly think through the time-skip to the 4th grade, so when I put the Toothless discovery over Spring break I didn't really realize how much time I pretty much threw out the window. So I guess I'm throwing more away; this chapter takes place in the same year as the previous, **but Jack and Hiccup have begun 5****th**** grade.** I've _really _gotta slow down the pace after this chapter, though; I blew through time I meant to spend on their personalities and this school year is _absolutely important _to Hiccup's character and his relationship with Jack, so I need to slow down a bit! break is over for me, guys, so updates might slow down a bit!

If there's anything you should know about me, it's that I _love _Tim Burton movies. The title of this chapter is the one of my favorite songs from Nightmare Before Christmas, and it's _perfect _because I centered the chapter around Halloween so enjoy a few NBC Easter eggs here and there! Yes, I wrote this while listening to the soundtrack.

**Basic Overview: **Halloween is just around the corner. Jack and Hiccup go trick-or-treating and Jack convinces Hiccup to venture into a haunted house with him.

**Point of View: **3rd person: Jack

**Warnings: **Panic attack – kind of intense? **Time skip to the beginning of 5****th**** grade**

**Age Reminder: **Jack is 11 (5th grade); Hiccup is 10 (5th grade); Emma is 8 (3rd grade)

* * *

**Chapter Six: **Jack's Lament

**October 30****th**

* * *

Just like he did every year, North grounded Jack for Mischief Night – even if it hadn't come yet.

Though the word "grounded" was used pretty loosely; it wasn't that Jack wasn't allowed to watch TV or go on the computer or play with Hiccup or anything like that. He just wasn't allowed to leave the house (with good reason, of course) under _any_ circumstances. And just like _every _year North tried to make it explicitly clear that he trusted him, but Jack had a feeling it had something to do with him egging Elliot's house. So Jack just nodded along with his "No going out tonight" speech and took it upon himself to make plans with Hiccup for the night. He approached him after school on the 29th and they planned out a sleepover; Mr. Haddock and North were a bit hesitant to let them have it, however, since Halloween landed on a Wednesday and they'd have to go to school, but with much lip-quivering and pleading (and a gentle nudge from Mrs. Haddock) the two boys managed to talk them into getting together.

To say that Jack was amused would be an understatement; Hiccup was sleeping over _on a school night_. Something about saying that felt so exciting and he honestly didn't know what to do with himself during class the next day. Maybe that was stupid, but who cares: Hiccup was sleeping over!

They met up at recess that day and went through a mini-check list of things they wanted to do while he was over. Homework ended up being on that list somewhere, and as Hiccup _insisted _they get it done first thing Jack groaned and half-heartedly agreed. They planned out their Halloween costumes and Jack even took the liberty of drawing out a map (a bit on the messy side, but functional nonetheless) of their neighborhood and all the houses they should hit for candy. It was sort of funny to Hiccup how much thought Jack put into it, but for some reason it didn't particularly surprise him.

School dragged on after recess, much to their dismay. Jack couldn't wait. His friend was coming to sleep over but his teacher _refused _to stop talking. His day grew tedious with every minute and when the bell rang, he couldn't get out of there fast enough. He even spotted Hiccup darting out of his classroom and they met at the end of the hall, both grinning from ear to ear.

* * *

"Hiccup can we take a break? I'm boooorrredddd…"

Jack tried to ignore the way his friend was rolling his eyes at him and groaned a bit louder. They'd been at their math homework for a half an hour and he was getting _sick _of it. He rested his head against his book and found it to be a pretty decent pillow. The numbers scattered across the page blurred as he unfocused his vision and he let his fingers play with the spine's edge. Hiccup sighed. "But Jack I don't wanna have to do it later; if we get it out of the way now it'll be easier –"

"Can't we just finish it on the bus?"

Hiccup glared at him. "Jack, last time you did it on the bus you got in trouble."

"But _Hiccup_…" Jack whined, jutting out his bottom lip before groaning dramatically. "I'm so _bored…_"

The younger sighed and shut his book. Jack grinned as he started to pack his books back into his bag. "Fine… but we're _gonna _do it later, okay?"

"Sure, fine; can we play now?"

"Definitely!"

Jack sprung from his seat when Hiccup stood up and he cheered a hushed 'Yes!' beneath his breath. The two of them tossed their backpacks on the living room couch and swung up the stairs hurriedly. They ran into Jack's room and pretended to be adventurers for a while, hopping across dangerous "lava pits" and taming wild dragons every now and then. Emma even chimed in as the princess locked away, and the two boys ran across the hallway to rescue her. She gave up the game to draw, though, leaving the two boys to wander about the kingdom. When their game grew tiresome, the two boys sat on the bed, kicking their bare feet as they dangled off. Hiccup peeked over at his friend with a smile as he caught his breath. "So your Dad didn't want you going out tonight?"

"Yeah… I guess North's just worried I'm gonna egg Elliot's house again," Jack smirked a bit as he recalled that Mischief night two years ago. He remembered nailing the grumpy teen in the face with one before he got caught and the memory drew a chuckle from him. Running from that guy was a nightmare, but the look on his face was _priceless. _"Never making that mistake again; some people don't know how to take a joke!"

Hiccup rolled his eyes. "That doesn't seem like much of a funny joke Jack; I'd be mad too if you threw eggs at me."

"Well I'm not gonna, so you're not allowed to be mad!" Jack crossed his arms and smiled. "Besides, North doesn't keep 'em in the house around Halloween anyways."

"He must _really _not trust you."

Jack threw him a toothy smirk. "I wouldn't either, to be fair. Better safe than sorry, ya' know?"

"What, you'd do it _again?_"

He laughed at his friend's incredulous tone. "Sure, just not to Elliot!"

Hiccup sighed and buried his head in his hands. "Jeez, Jack. How can you be that _stupid?_"

"I'm not stupid," the older boy chuckled. "I'm just not afraid of _anything._"

Hiccup paused and thought for a moment before speaking. His expression sort of confused the eldest boy. "…hey, Jack?"

"What's up?" When Hiccup stayed quiet, Jack peeked over at him for a moment and raised an eyebrow. "Something wrong?"

"No, nothing bad; I was just wondering…" He thought carefully and stuttered. "Why… I dunno… you always call your Dad North."

Jack shrugged. "Cause that's his name, _duh_. Just like you call me Jack and I call my sister Emma."

"Why not call him Dad then?" He glanced over at him with a confused expression. "I mean… When I called my Dad by his first name he got _really _mad. Why doesn't yours?"

Jack wasn't entirely sure how to answer that. His feelings toward North were as confusing to him as they were to Hiccup; it wasn't that the man didn't reflect a father figure to him. But referring to him as his Dad was just… weird. Wrong, even. It was like he was his Dad but at the same time he _really _wasn't. He just… didn't feel _right _calling him that, and he wasn't entirely sure what to make of it. How could Jack explain something as complicated as _that _to Hiccup when he didn't understand it himself? Jack thought carefully about how to word it, though he ultimately opted to leave out the major bits.

Hiccup was his _best_ friend and he was excited to have him over; dropping the "adopted" bomb would just ruin their good time, and making Hiccup sad was the _last _thing Jack wanted to think about. Besides, what did it matter anyways? North was as good as any other Dad, if not better!

"It's his nickname," Jack lied, biting back everything inside. "Didn't I tell you? I give 'em to the people I care about."

He had to pass it off to himself as a half-truth, simply to avoid letting Hiccup's little smile get him down.

* * *

As much as Jack _loathed _the idea, the two of them climbed onto the rooftop to finish up their math homework.

Hiccup helped him with his times tables and Jack rolled around with a groan as he fumbled to remember 7 times 6. His friend would joke that he was "un-teachable" when he needed a motivation boost, which proved to be effective when Jack sat up straight, narrowed his eyes, furrowed his eyebrows, and thought carefully about his answers. Hiccup simply laughed at his serious expression while the eldest boy defended himself. Like _hell _Jack was un-teachable!

However, they managed to finish up their worksheets rather quickly and tossed their books inside shortly after. Jack practically did a victory dance when he threw his book in the window and shimmied across the roof joyfully. He yelled at the sky about how smart he was and ruffled Hiccup's hair, boasting about his intellectual prowess (to which Hiccup rolled his eyes doubtfully) with a wide, cocky grin. They chatted idly about school and their peers for a while, staring up at the sky with wide, wondrous eyes that shined beneath the moonlight. Jack lay on his back while Hiccup sat Indian-style, his legs folded and his arms supporting him as he leaned back a bit.

When silence found its way between the two of them, Hiccup interjected, "My Mom told me once that the stars can draw pictures."

Jack raised an eyebrow. "Pictures? Like _what?_"

"Uh… I think she mentioned something about a guy's belt and a ladle," Hiccup thought for a moment, scratching his head a bit. "Oh! And Hercules!"

Jack flew up with a smile. "Like in the movies? _That _Hercules?"

"Yeah!" Hiccup peeked over at his friend with a toothy smile.

Jack looked up at the sky curiously and tilted his head a bit. He didn't see any pictures; just a bunch of stupid dots in the darkness. He furrowed his eyebrows a bit. "I don't see anything; they're just stars!"

"Well yeah, doofus; you've gotta connect the dots to make stuff," Hiccup chuckled. He pointed up and leaned closer to his friend. "See, that one's a giant ladle."

Jack squinted, following the tip of his friend's finger to spot the alleged ladle. He let his head rest on Hiccup's shoulder as he tried to connect the dots. Nothing. He sighed, poking Hiccup in the cheek. The younger peeked down at him. "Man, I don't see _anything_."

Hiccup rolled his eyes. "It's not _that _hard, Jack."

"Whatever…" Jack shrugged. He glanced back down to the side of the roof and noted the darkness that surrounded them. It seemed to curl along the outline of the roof's edge, crawling helplessly away from the light of Jack's room shining behind them. The shadow of a tree branch just barely poked the tip of his big toe, like a long finger reaching out toward him. He wiggled it a bit, giggling a little when the shadow crept up his skin.

Jack smirked. It gave him a wicked idea. "Hey, Hiccup."

He peeked down at him, his cheek brushing Jack's hair. "Hm?"

"You think there's gonna be any monsters out tonight?"

"Monsters?" Hiccup pulled his head back and raised an eyebrow. Jack straightened his back, sitting up straight with a thin smile.

"Well, yeah," he crossed his arms. "North told me that on Halloween, ghosts and ghouls come out to haunt people. And they hide while all of us are dressed up so no one can find 'em."

Hiccup chuckled. "That's stupid, Jack."

"Hey, I don't make this stuff up; North told me himself and he knows everything!"

"I'm so sure…" Hiccup rolled his eyes, elbowing Jack in the arm playfully. "My Mom told me there's no such thing as monsters, ya' doof."

"I wouldn't be so sure, Hiccup," Jack poked him in the cheek, a grin gracing his lips as the younger glared at him. "As a matter of _fact, _I fought the boogeyman once and sent him running."

"You did _not!_" his friend laughed, his lips curving into a playful smile too.

Jack held up both hands. "It's true! I really _did! _He was creepin' on Emma so I showed him what I'm made of! He pops in every once in a while but he's _way _too scared of me to try anything, I swear it!"

"Oh sure, Jack, just like how you _always_ make it snow?"

Something about the sarcastic in his voice shook Jack a little. "_Well_, when the boogeyman snatches up your dreams don't come crying to me, mister!" He crossed his arms again and turned his head away from the boy, sticking his nose in the air as he fought back a smirk. "And don't say I didn't warn you, either!" His mock-frown wavered when he heard his friend's laugh ring through the air. Maybe it was weird, but Jack liked how it sounded. It drifted through the air almost musically and something about the smile it forced onto his face was endearing.

He even liked the way he rolled his eyes; something in them glinted playfully and it made him smile. Hiccup nudged him in the shoulder. "Yeah, I'm _so _scared."

* * *

They crawled into Jack's bed around 11:30 or so that night.

Of course, Jack snuck inside a bit earlier to make sure Emma got to bed alright, and once he returned the two boys agreed to head back in and shut the window. Hiccup ran to the bathroom and threw on his pajamas while Jack did the same in his own room, and – despite their intention of falling asleep at midnight – passed out around 1 in the morning after buzzing for a good hour or so about nothing in particular. Jack – surprisingly – was the first to cave; he drifted off somewhere in the middle of their discussion about the girls in their class leaving Hiccup to ramble sleepily about some "really cool" girl in his gym class. The older boy faded in and out of his mini-tangent, but passed out soon after he'd finished mentioning how she'd spiked a volleyball into some kid's face.

He slept soundly for a while that night, with blurry visions and indistinct figures and forms fluttering happily beneath his eyelids. Jack didn't remember _what _it was he dreamt, but he remembered that it made him feel safe and warm inside. Yet it echoed something… distant. Something he couldn't quite remember but something that made him happy and downright _miserable_ at the same time. He recalled a high, gentle voice calling out his name and two arms reaching out to him; he could barely make out a smiling face as well. Jack remembered Emma being somewhere in his little mess of hazy visions and his heart sinking when his dream-self noticed what he _thought _to be the tides rising and _rising _and someone calling out his name. He remembered feeling something heavy cling to his skin and drag every step he took as he started to _run, _and every detail slowly unraveled from a pleasant buzz to a sharp stagnancy. He remembered every call getting louder and his heartbeat getting faster.

"...Jack? Are you awake?"

Jack remembered waking up somewhere between panic and relief when he picked up Hiccup's voice. His heartbeat was slower than he'd anticipated, but he felt the sting of breathlessness becoming known in the back of his throat. He dizzily sat up in his bed when he heard him whispering his name almost hesitantly. It took him a moment to shift between the distant echoes of a woman's urgent yell to the hushed sound of his friend's voice. The boy rubbed his eyes and peeked over. He slurred a bit as he spoke. "Hey Hiccup… what's up?"

Jack felt the sheets shift a bit and noticed the younger boy was burying his face into his pillow. "…you're gonna laugh at me."

"Probably," he yawned again, trying to force a quiet laugh. "Don't let _that_ stop you, though."

Hiccup paused. He wrapped his arms around the pillow and mumbled something into it. Jack raised an eyebrow. "What?"

He watched his friend loosen his death grip on it and turn his head so Jack could barely make out the obscured features of his face. "…well… I… saw a weird shadow by the window."

"And?"

Hiccup huffed. "_And _it… um… kinda… err… f-freaked me out."

"You big baby," Jack laughed groggily, laying back again and looking over at Hiccup. He snorted when the boy hid his face in the pillow again and grumbled. "Scared of the dark or something?"

The younger shook his head no. Jack thought back to his comments about monsters and realized Hiccup was probably freaked out or something. He wasn't sure why, since he didn't exactly think himself to be the best storyteller but shrugged it off and sighed, patting his head. He poked him in the cheek as his eyelids grew heavy again. "Gotcha. Well, whatever's out there isn't gonna touch you."

Hiccup peeked up at him with his eyebrows furrowed. "How can you just say that if there's something scary out there?"

"Easy," Jack lazily smiled. "I'm not afraid of _anything_."

As the younger snorted in disbelief and curled a bit closer to him, he let himself believe it was true. He poked his friend in the cheek playfully and stuck out his tongue, earning a swat and a weak smile in return. Jack could feel the alluring heaviness of sleep pressing against him and decided it'd be best to give in. "No worries, Hiccup." He sleepily whispered as his eyelids shut. "No one's gonna mess with you. _Especially n_ot while I'm here."

And oddly enough, he was pleased that the last thing he saw before falling asleep was Hiccup rolling his eyes.

* * *

**October 31st **

**Halloween Day**

* * *

It only felt suiting that the boys raised from the dead on Halloween morning.

Falling asleep so late probably wasn't the _best _idea, but they couldn't really find it in themselves to care (or _function _for that matter) since they'd had a lot of fun hanging out. Dragging themselves out of bed was _dreadful, _but they managed to roll out and stumbled into separate rooms so they could change. Hiccup giggled to himself when he noticed Jack had his shirt on backwards, and when he told him he broke into a laughing fit as he heard the older boy groan and complain about it from the other side of his bedroom door. When Jack was properly dressed (he even had Hiccup make sure for him) they tapped at Emma's door and the three of them hurried down the stairs for breakfast.

North made them eggs and bacon that morning, much to Jack's delight; Hiccup had the pleasure of watching him and his sister bicker over who got how many pieces and ended up just grabbing two while they argued. They chatted at breakfast and when they finished, Jack grabbed their backpacks from upstairs and they waited for the bus.

School was… well, interesting. The 2nd graders paraded through the classrooms in their costumes, so Jack got to see Emma all dressed up like a fairy that morning. He sniggered to himself when her wing got caught as she skipped out of the room and even waved to her. She stuck out her tongue in response and left with the other kids. After that, their lessons went as usual; math, science, and English in the morning while history and grammar lessons followed in the afternoon lunch. Lunch consisted of undercooked hamburgers and fries (Hiccup ended up not eating, but could you blame him?) with Halloween candy as a treat. They were limited to two pieces per kid, much to Jack's dismay, but that didn't stop him from sneaking a few more pieces. Hiccup scolded him for taking more than two later on, though.

Recess was a lot of fun that day; they chirped and chatted about their trick-or-treating plans. Jack lost his attention when some girl stopped by to say hi to Hiccup, though. She was pretty tall, with a lean figure and blonde hair tied back into a lazy French braid. A red headband wrapped around her forehead, her side bang peeking over it and barely covering her dull blue eye. The girl tapped him on the shoulder and smiled confidently, brushing a loose strand of hair from her face. "Happy Halloween, Henrik."

Jack peeked over at his friend and noticed his cheeks lighting up. He raised an eyebrow with interest as his friend stammered, "H-Happy Halloween, Astrid."

They didn't really say much of anything else; Astrid ran off with a smile on her face to a group of girls Jack assumed to be her friends on the other side of the playground. The older boy turned to his friend with a smirk. "What was that about?"

Hiccup shrugged. "I-I dunno."

"Oh, I get it; you got a crush on her or something?"

"N-No!" Hiccup spat back, his cheeks flushing a bit darker. Jack laughed and smacked him playfully in the arm. "It's not funny, Jack…"

Jack ruffled his hair a bit. "Yeah, yeah…"

And just like usual, they spent the remainder of recess playing their silly make-believe games; taming dragons and crossing dangerous landscapes as the great ice wizard and fierce warrior king. They established a base beside the swing sets and ventured into the wilderness of the jungle gym until the recess aids blew their whistles to go back inside. Jack and Hiccup threw each other smiles as they set off in different directions.

Fortunately for Jack, his classes were a bit more fun since his teacher _actually _decided to have a sense of humor on Halloween.

They got to watch Nightmare Before Christmas (of which Jack was _especially _thrilled for) and their lessons were centric to the holiday. His class got to play games until the final bell rang and his teacher shooed them out of the classroom. Just like every day, Hiccup and Jack met up at the end of the hall to catch the bus and Emma caught up with them. They all bounced in their seats as the bus wheeled out of Burgess Elementary School and buzzed excitedly about all the candy they were going to get.

When the three of them finally reached their stop, they practically _flew _off the bus. Hiccup and Jack tackled their homework as quickly as they could (despite Jack's pleas to just not do it at all) and managed to get a good portion of it done so they could play before it was time to trick-or-treat. Throughout their games, they peeked out the window and watched the sun creep along the horizon and the skies darken with a plum blush. When the moon came out and the sky was dark enough, Jack and Hiccup sped from his room to the living room and asked North if they could go out.

"I do not know…" he stroked his beard a bit and looked out the window. "Is dark enough?"

Jack nodded. "Yeah, the other kids are out too, see!"

North chuckled and patted the boys on their heads. "Then you may go. _If _you take Emma and her friends with you!"

"Aw man…" Jack huffed and looked over at Hiccup. His friend didn't seem all that opposed to the idea. "Alright we'll take Emma with us. But if she starts slowing down I'm bringing her back!"

North merely laughed and the two boys hurried upstairs to change.

* * *

The amount of people whose doors they knocked on and the amount of people who called them adorable was _way too high._

Jack didn't get it; he thought Hiccup and he looked _awesome_, not… not _cute_! Hiccup was a pretty rugged, tough looking Viking and Jack even took the liberty of splattering red paint on his sword; what about that was cute?! Ugh… Adults were so stupid. You'd think if a Viking and a skeleton knocked on their front door they'd be _terrified, _but no! Jack understood if they found Sophie and Emma adorable (they were colorful fairies with wings and everything; that's just downright _adorable_), and _maybe _Jamie (he was supposed to be a pirate but he looked more like Peter Pan to Jack in all honesty), but Hiccup and he? _No way_. They were tough looking!

Maybe Toothless was what sent them over to the cuter side of the spectrum; Hiccup was carrying him around claiming he was his pet dragon (he even took the liberty of making him a little tail) when the adults asked him about it. Jack had to say, the little guy was _adorable_. He complained as they walked between houses and Hiccup just laughed at him. What was there to laugh about? This was _irritating! _

"It's no big deal, Jack," the younger boy giggled as the older pouted. Toothless yipped so he scratched his head gently. "If it helps at all, _I _think you look pretty scary."

Jack huffed and crossed his arms. Jamie looked over at them with a slight smile. "Yeah, Jack; adults say that kinda stuff all the time just to push your buttons!"

"Grr… whatever…" he sighed. "At least we're getting more candy. Who knew cute worked better than scary?"

He looked over at his sister and smiled. Emma and Sophie were _really _into the fairy thing. They had their arms apart and they ran around in little patterns that reminded Jack of a butterfly in the spring. It was sort of adorable. The five of them managed to cover two blocks of houses before the girls got tired. Jack walked his sister and her friends home and Hiccup followed; once they were safely inside he kissed Emma on the head, left his candy bag in the kitchen, grabbed a small bag from the living room, and set off for the streets again. Hiccup came with him after bringing Toothless home to his Mom and they walked down the road until the street lights started gaining distance between each other. Trees formed what seemed like a wall beside the sidewalks and the houses placed nearby gradually grew more decrepit and rickety. Jack smirked, knowing _exactly _where they were nearing.

Hiccup's pace started to slow as his eyes scanned across their surroundings. He nervously tugged on Jack's sleeve and asked, "Er… where are we?"

"Some place cool," Jack reassured him. "We just gotta get a little further up."

The faux-Viking tilted his head a bit, eyebrows weaving upward curiously. "Okay… then where are we _going?_"

"I heard there's a house up the road that's full of ghosts and stuff," Jack admitted, turning to his friend with a determined grin. He tugged the zipper open on his bag and pulled out a handheld vacuum cleaner. Hiccup gaped at him. "I say we bust in and catch ourselves a ghost!"

Hiccup smacked him in the arm a little harder than playfully. He gasped a bit. "You're _joking_, right?!"

"Nope!" The older boy smirked, noting his friend's nervous expression. "I _never_ joke about this stuff! And besides, how cool would it be if we brought a _ghost _home?"

"Pretty cool, until it gets out and _haunts us!_"

Jack placed a hand on his shoulder and used the other to slip the handheld back into his bag. "It's not _gonna _get out, ya' doof. I vacuumed up some salt in the house before we left; one of my books says they hate the stuff!"

Hiccup sighed. "Did you ever stop and think that _maybe _your book is wrong, and we're gonna get in trouble?"

"No way!" Jack peeked over at him with a grin and noted the expression on his friend's face. Hiccup was tugging on his own sleeve and staring at the ground as they walked, eyes lowered and lips pressed into a thin line that just barely bridged into a frown. What the heck? He looked kinda upset and Jack couldn't put his finger on why; they were going _ghost-hunting; _how cool is that? He didn't really get what there was to be so down about; until he noticed the way Hiccup was fidgeting and put two-and-two together.

Oh wow. Hiccup was actually _scared._

Why should he be, though? I mean, Jack's seen a couple of bad horror movies before (most of which he wasn't _supposed _to be watching) and ghosts are _nothing _in comparison to the other stuff that could be out there. They were just looking for a stupid spirit to suck up and bring back home; there's nothing scary about _that, _right? And even if they _did _come after Hiccup, Jack would just suck 'em up with his totally legit ghost-sucker-upper thingy. What ghost would be stupid enough to challenge a Viking and a Skeleton anyways? Maybe it was just Jack, but if he were a ghost he wouldn't go _near _the two of them.

The two of them would be _fine!_

"There's no reason to be scared, dude," Jack reassured him, stopping when he noticed the cobblestone path leading uphill. He smiled genuinely at his friend and noticed his eyes slowly moving upward to look at him. "Didn't I tell you? As long as I'm around, nothing's gonna mess with us."

Hiccup let his eyes dart around them until they locked back on Jack's eyes. He huffed. "…fine. But if it gets too scary _promise me _that we'll go home."

Jack smiled. He crossed his thumb over his heart in a little X and held up his left hand.

"Cross my heart."

* * *

"You'd think the ghosts would wanna hang out somewhere cleaner."

Jack sniggered as they strode through the front entrance, flicking his flashlight along the dusty, decaying wood panel walls. He noted the copious strings of cobwebs that clung to the corners and the tattered paintings that desperately cohered to the hallway walls for dear life. The place was a _dump_. Jack grinned. "Maybe ghosts just like dirty places, cause they know no one's there or somethin'."

"If I were a ghost, I'd haunt somewhere cooler than _this _place." Hiccup tittered. "Like… the playground or someplace nicer."

They laughed quietly, tip-toeing down the hall into what seemed like an abysmal darkness. The tattered remnants of what Jack thought to be a carpet dustily lay upon the creaky floor, creeping all the way down until it stopped just before a broken staircase. The floor boards rasped beneath their every step, no matter how hard they tried to focus their weight elsewhere and hush their steps. He'd handed Hiccup his own flashlight somewhere along the lines, since he thought he heard someone talking and shined it into a doorway to see if someone was there. No one was. He shuddered and anxiously asked Jack if he'd heard it too, and much to his dismay Jack couldn't say he did.

The two boys continued onward despite Hiccup's paranoia that they were being watched, stepping hesitantly through the winding hallways and labyrinth rooms. Hiccup complained every now and then about the spiders that kept sneaking up on him. He swatted them off and smacked Jack's arm when he laughed; that little spaz. He was so nervous and it was making Jack giggle. They spun a corner into what Hiccup had declared to be a dining room. The furniture was worn-down and _covered _in a thick layer of dust. A glass case full of rusty silverware and grimy glassware clung to the wall, parallel to the center of the cracked table in the center of the room. On the other side, a rather unusual looking archway bridged into an upward staircase. Jack blinked. For some reason, _this _staircase looked to be in better condition than the other. An idea flourished in his head and he turned to Hiccup with a mischievous grin. The younger boy swallowed.

"Whaddaya say we split up?" He suggested in a low voice, flicking his flashlight over at the archway. "I'll cover the upstairs, and you see if you can find a light switch for down here."

"Are you crazy?!" Hiccup responded in a hush voice, his bright eyes widening. "What happens if I see a ghost or something?"

Jack thought for a minute before reaching into his bag and handing him his little vacuum cleaner. The younger boy gaped at him. "Suck 'em up and call for me; I'll come running back."

Hiccup gulped. He tugged on Jack's sleeve, his eyebrows weaving upward as his expression shifted into one of slight fear. "But what if _you _see a ghost? They'll eat you up alive without the handheld!"

"Man, do I have to keep telling you?" Jack grinned, ruffling the younger boy's hair a bit. He placed his hands on his hips and proudly straightened his back. "I'm not scared of _anything_, Hiccup. Not even a dumb ghost. They won't come _near _me 'cause I'm _way_ too tough for 'em!"

He smiled at him widely and poked his nose. "So quit worrying, 'kay? I won't go too far, I promise. Just holler if you get scared or if you see a ghost or somethin'."

"Fine… just don't die or anything." Hiccup nodded with a shuddering sigh. "I don't think I'd be able to handle being best friends with a ghost."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah…" Jack chuckled. "I'll beat 'em up if they try anything!"

"I'm not sure if I wanna call you really brave or _really _stupid."

Jack laughed at his snarky comment and started up the stairs. He called down, "Probably both!"

* * *

In retrospect, splitting up was probably a dumb idea.

Jack was starting to feel a little lonely without Hiccup there for him to pal around with. He had _so much _comedy gold stashed in his little head and no one to use it on! This _sucked! _The older boy had wandered up the stairs into what he _thought _to be bedroom; a rusty, metal frame held up a grossly stained mattress covered in ragged, somewhat-but-not-really white sheets. The pillows were mangled, feathers fluttering around the room as a breeze rolled through the open window, blowing them in indistinguishable patterns. Jack shuddered. It felt colder than usual.

He skimmed the light from his flashlight along the walls and noted the torn paintings and photos loosely dangling from the wood panels. He thought he saw one of a girl, but it was hard to tell with the way it wore down; it must have gotten wet, since the paints all shimmied down the canvas and dripped along the edges. The framing around it was just barely clinging together. Jack let the light creep further along and noted the shadows that slinked across the walls. _Man _this place was creepy. The dreary, abysmal darkness seemed to draw _creepier _shadows along the walls with the limited supply of light it had, lazily dragging dark lines along them with a silent moan. It was weird, actually: Jack even thought his _own _shadow to be intimidating.

As he neared a door on the farthest wall, he felt his heart _jump _with every flicker of his flashlight. He must have been running out of battery or something; the longer he had it on, the shorter the flickering intervals got. Jack almost panicked, but reassured himself that things would be fine; if it went out, he'd find his way back down the stairs and meet up with Hiccup. If a ghost found him on his way down, he'd show the sucker what he was made of and make a break for it; of course, no ghost would be _stupid _enough to challenge him anyways.

So there was _absolutely _no reason to worry. Nope. None at _all._

But the further he ventured into the darkness, the more _aware _Jack became of his vulnerability. His flashlight flickered desperately and just barely shined any light on his surroundings; his only real help was from the Man in the Moon, who shined some light down through the windows as if to guide him along the halls. A nervous twist settled in his belly when it finally gave out and he was left alone with nothing but the dark corners of each room to accompany him. Jack gulped. Where was Hiccup when he needed him?

Wait, what the heck was he saying? This is _Jack _we're talking about; he wasn't afraid of some stupid darkness, or any _stupid _ghosts, or _anything _for that matter! That's right, he could handle himself and without any problems whatsoever; he was Jack the Conqueror, Jack the Great Ice Wizard, and – just for tonight – Jack the Pumpkin King! There was _nothing _that could scare him, no sir, and anything or anyone that tried to would just make a fool of themselves. What a stupid proposal… fear…

He let his totally-not-trembling hand run along the right wall, remembering that in a movie he'd seen the main character used it to find his way out of a maze. Jack discarded his useless flashlight, gingerly placing it on a nearby end table, and settled for following the windows that shined light down on the floor and drew shadows across every decrepit wall. His heart _pounded _in his chest and he felt his body start to shake, but he _refused _to give up. Jack was going to at _least _see a ghost if it was the last thing he did!

…well, maybe not the _last _thing. Ugh. Bad train of thought on his part.

His idea to ransack the place and find a ghost was probably the stupidest idea he could have managed to think of; what was the heck was he even _thinking? _Jack didn't even think he believed in ghosts; so why did he want to go running into some _stupid _house and chase after some make believe bedtime story? Why was he so excited to throw himself into completely _emptiness _if he knew there would be nothing or no _one _there? Why'd he _want _to do this with Hiccup, even if he knew that things would inevitably yield nothing to them?

Jack's mind wandered, the familiar twinge of panic settling in the back of his mind and slowly creeping through his veins until he could _feel _every breath he took and _feel _the darkness wrapping itself around him. His fingers that skimmed along the right wall curled into a fist and suddenly he found it hard to breathe, hard to _think _as the most crippling awareness raked through his body. He wasn't scared of ghosts or the dark. He wasn't scared of facing the unknown or getting embarrassed or of some stupid boogeyman or anything like that. Jack didn't know what he was doing and he fumbled in the halls like an _idiot _until he fell onto his knees and curled into a ball as the darkness embraced him.

Jack wasn't fearless, and Jack wasn't brave. Jack was _alone_, and _that _was what scared him most of all.

* * *

Henrik remembered hearing a loud _thump _from the lower floor.

He remembered panicking a bit when he thought he heard someone crying, and skimming his flashlight along the walls hurriedly to spot whoever or _what_ever was out there. Henrik remembered calling out for Jack in a fit of panic and breathing heavily as he sprinted down the hall and into the dining room again. He heaved for air and felt fear coursing through him when Jack didn't call back or come running like he said. His surroundings blurred around him and reality shifted a bit. Something was wrong. _Really _wrong. Jack wasn't responding and Henrik was afraid.

Henrik _really _didn't want to, but he ran upstairs and darted around the halls calling for him.

"Jack! JACK WHERE ARE YOU?!" he remembered _screaming _as the crying got louder and his heart pounded faster. The further into the hallways he went, the louder the noises grew. Henrik pulled out the little handheld and shakily pointed it in front of him as he crept down the hall, his arms quivering and his breaths getting heavier. He prepared himself for the worst and turned a corner, his eyes shut and his head turned as he pointed the stupid vacuum forward and braced for impact. But it never came. The cries were clear as day but he didn't see any ghosts in front of him, just the form of what he thought was _Jack _curled up by the window, the outline of his figure highlighted by the moonlight shining through.

Henrik's stomach turned. He put two-and-two together and realized it was Jack that was… _crying._

He tip-toed forward, lowering the vacuum cleaner as his expression softened and his heartbeat slowed. The strangest combination of relief and sorrow twisted in his belly as he neared the boy. Jack was okay. Thank _gods _Jack was okay. Even if he was crying and quaking beneath the moonlight, Henrik was relieved to know his friend hadn't gotten hurt. The younger boy kneeled beside him and, in a hush whisper, asked, "Jack, are you okay?"

Jack didn't answer. He bit his lip to muffle his cried and curled further into a ball.

"…Jack?"

No response.

Henrik scooted closer to him and placed a hand on his shoulder, his fingers trembling a bit but halting slowly as the fear in him subsided. He noted the tension in Jack's shoulders and how it seemed to ease a bit when he spoke. It was strange; Jack seemed a lot more relaxed with Henrik there, but he still wouldn't look at him. He buried his face into his knees and tightly hugged his knees to his chest.

"Hey, Jack," Henrik thought for a moment before speaking, sitting close to his older friend calmly. "I-It's okay. There are no ghosts or monsters anywhere."

Jack weakly nodded, his head falling further.

Henrik wasn't entirely sure what to do, so he leaned over and wrapped his arms around Jack's back. He hugged him tightly and rested his head against his shoulder, noting the tension in Jack's body easing a _lot _more. Something his mother had told him once suddenly clicked into his head, and he mumbled softly, "It's okay to be afraid, Jack. There's nothing wrong with being scared of the dark."

Jack shook his head. His voice was broken and a bit hoarse as he murmured, "Not the dark."

"Oh." Henrik _brilliantly _responded, mentally smacking himself for not knowing what to say. He held onto his friend tighter and buried his face in his shoulder, hiding his frown in Jack's costume. He shifted a bit, though, when the boy turned around and clung to him desperately, burying his face in his chest without saying a word. He breathed a bit heavily and Henrik held onto him, a bit taken aback by the stillness in the air and Jack's _unusually _fearful demeanor.

Henrik ran his hand along his back and sighed. "It's okay, Jack. I'm right here."

And – though Henrik wasn't entirely sure why – that last part made Jack cling to him a bit tighter.

* * *

Needless to say, they went home after their little ghost-hunt.

Jack didn't say much of anything on the walk home, and Henrik didn't really say much himself. And when they finally got back to Jack's house, Emma and her friends were excitedly chirping about how much candy they'd gotten, and had already traded the pieces they didn't want. Henrik looked over at Jack and he smiled widely and ran over to his sister, pulling her into a swinging hug before kissing her head. He seemed a lot cheerier now that they were back, and when Val came over to pick him up the boy pulled Henrik into a tight hug and smirked when they broke it.

He ruffled Henrik's hair and whispered quietly, "It was our little secret, okay?"

The younger boy simply nodded before he and his Mom stepped out of the house and walked back to their own. Something about Jack's comment clicked in Henrik's head, and he found himself unusually perplexed about what he'd said before.

He wasn't entirely sure if Jack was talking about their little ghost-hunt, or the fact that Jack had gotten afraid.

* * *

**Author's Note: **I wrote the ending while I was listening to the Closing track, when Santa is summing up the entire movie and I _literally _just sat there and giggled because after seeing Rise of the Guardians I imagined North talking to Jack and it was _great_. The next few chapters are _still in the 5__th__ grade, I __**swear!**_My time screw-up knocked out a few things I wanted to do, but the pace will slow down for the next… err… 4 or 5 chapters, roughly. It _really _depends how I split things up. Sorry for the slower updates; school's a bit of a thorn in my side but I'll _try _to keep this going at least a chapter a week.


	7. Minutes to Midnight

**Author's Note: **Thank you to the two who pointed out my timeline errors! I'm getting sloppy! So, admittedly this is a filler chapter. The next chapter is more significant toward Hiccup's relationship with his family and with Jack, and the chapter that follows begins a sequence of chapters (meaning they're actually relevant to each other and chronologically follow the same year). Enjoy the next two chapters of fluff. I swear next chapter will be of better quality than this one; I honestly just needed some filler and New Year's seemed like a good idea, but I ended up having _no _plans for this one other than a few bullet points.

((I apologize this ended up being shorter than I'd anticipated. Next chapter has more to it than this one, I swear.))

**Basic Overview: **The year is coming to a close and Jack/Hiccup spend New Year's together.

**Point of View: **3rd person: Hiccup

**Warnings: **Alcohol. That's all Ima say.

**Age Reminder: **Jack has recently turned 12 (5th grade); Hiccup is 10 (5th grade); Emma is 9 (3rd grade)

* * *

**Chapter 7: Minutes to Midnight**

**December 31****st**

* * *

Henrik woke up with a smile on his face.

He sprung from a deep sleep ready to take on the day; his thoughts slurred a bit as he wobbled across his bedroom to dress himself but the twinge of joy settling in his small form failed to waver. Toothless yawned from his bed and hopped down with him, scurrying out the door with a small yip. For once, he slid into his clothes, peeked at the mirror, and didn't wince when he saw his reflection. He didn't check if he had any acne (which was slowly starting to become an issue much to his dismay) or notice the reddish pigments of his cheeks; he didn't frown when his hair didn't part right, or groan when he tugged on his favorite green and brown sweater and it awkwardly hugged his boney sides. Henrik simply threw his reflection a quick grin and hurried down the stairs, his sleeves flopping a bit at the momentum and his bangs bouncing wildly as he skipped down the steps and swung the corner.

There was nothing special about December 31st, but Henrik woke up feeling unusually cheerful.

Nothing particularly stood out about the date; he couldn't really think of anything notable beside the oncoming New Year and the annual invitation from Jack to come over and play. His Dad had mentioned going over to watch the ball drop with North earlier, but he wasn't entirely sure what about that was exciting; they celebrated New Year's every year; what was so special about this one? Henrik couldn't quite place what about the day had him so excited, but he brushed it off and strided into the kitchen.

"Good morning, Henrik," Val smiled at him, wide and bright. She was sitting at the table across from Sven, sipping her coffee a bit daintily. "Did you sleep well?"

Henrik skipped over and gave his mother's side a quick a hug. She patted his head with her free hand and he looked up at her with a smile. "Yeah! I had this really cool dream, and you and Dad were there and I was a dragon trainer and they were like, _everywhere_ and I had this _really _huge pet dragon and it was _so cool!"_

"Sounds exciting," Sven chuckled heartily, smiling at his son from across the table as he rambled on. "But I'm not sure you could handle a dragon, son; we can hardly handle Toothless over there."

They peeked into the living room and noticed the little dog dragging a pillow twice his size off the couch and across the floor. "Toothless!" Henrik yelled with a snigger. He bounced over and plucked the pillow back; placing it gingerly on the couch before picking up the tiny ball of fur. "Come on, bud."

He returned to his parents at the dining table and Val reached over to him. Toothless yipped, and she pulled her hand back. Henrik smiled. "You've gotta let him sniff your hand first; he doesn't like it when you pet him without his permission."

"Of course, of course…" Val followed his instructions and gave him a scratch on the head. "He's certainly got some fire in him, doesn't he?"

Henrik nodded, and Toothless wiggled in his arms a bit. "Yeah, but he's pretty good otherwise. I'm trying to teach him tricks!"

"Now wouldn't that be something!" Sven laughed, standing to pat his son on the head. "Does he know anything yet?"

The boy thought carefully for a minute before placing Toothless on the floor. He wiggled his tail and yipped, looking up at Henrik with wide, puppy-dog eyes. Henrik pointed down at the ground and sternly demanded, "Toothless, sit!"

Toothless just stared at him. He titled his head to the side as if he were confused and wagged his tail faster when the boy said his name.

"Sit!"

Much to his dismay, the little ball of fur simply walked into the living room, picked up a shoe by the front door, and placed it in front of his master. "Err… not _quite._" Henrik huffed, kneeled to pat him on the head, and turned to his laughing father. "We're… still kinda working on it."

"Well, he's a smart dog and you're a smart boy," he smiled, placing a hand on his son's shoulder. "I'm sure you'll figure something out."

Henrik beamed from ear to ear. He nodded at his father before taking his seat at the table.

December 31st was starting out to be a good day, and he wasn't entirely sure why.

* * *

"Yules?" Jack tilted his head confusedly. "The heck is that?"

Henrik sighed, letting his back sink into his friend's bean bag as he blew his bangs out of his field of vision. He hadn't been at his friend's house for long and they were already bored, lazily hanging around Jack's room. "New Year's." He turned to his friend who was sprawled out on the floor and smiled. "It's just got a different name in Scandinavia."

"Weird," Jack peeked up at him curiously. "You guys still gotta do any of that weird stuff?"

Henrik raised an eyebrow. "Huh? What's that mean?"

"Well, North told me that when he was little every New Year's Eve at midnight they yelled Novi… nov… er…" Jack scratched his head and huffed. "Well… something Russian. I don't really remember what it was. But stuff like that, or jumping up at midnight."

"Where'd you hear_ that_ one from?" The younger boy sniggered. "It's silly."

Jack sat up and crossed his arms, tapping his cheek with his index finger as he thought carefully for a minute. "I saw it on TV once. Tried it last year but I don't think I got any taller."

"Are you kidding?" Henrik stood and Jack followed. He held up his hand and let the side tap the older boy's forehead. "You're like, _three _inches taller than me!"

Jack snickered. "Dude, I've _been _taller than you."

He patted the top of his head and smirked. Henrik swatted his hand away and rolled his eyes, crossing his arms before remembering his friend's question. "Mom makes us clean the house the day before the New Year."

"Lame…" Jack huffed. "Anything else?"

"Well… My Dad busts out a ton of loopy juice."

Henrik wasn't sure why, but Jack raised an eyebrow with interest. "Really?"

"Yeah, my parents get pretty loud when they drink it." He thought back to Yules a few years ago and remembered his Dad's booming laugh across the house. He could hear him _upstairs. _With his headphones on. And ear muffs. Henrik remembered hearing his Mom laughing and a couple of their friends joining in, along with the clink of glass bottles and rowdy celebration. He wasn't allowed downstairs that night, but he spent it reading more of his dragon books and doodling in his notebooks. _Man, _now that he thought back to it that was a weird year. It was the year they were preparing to move – or at least he _thought _it was – and the year he finally learned how to properly tie his shoes. Henrik shook off the memory and returned to Jack's question. "Mom and Dad drink a whole _ton _of the stuff and usually fall asleep on the couch."

"Yeesh, what's the big deal about that stuff?" The eldest threw his hands up and collapsed onto his bed, face-first. "Why would you wanna drink something that makes you stupid in the head?"

Henrik giggled, gingerly hopping up onto the mattress to sit beside him. "Beats me." He kicked his feet off the edge and folded his hands in his lap. "All I know is it smells kinda gross."

Jack rested his chin on the comforter. "I wonder what it tastes like." He weaved his eyebrows together and turned to Henrik with a devious smile, as if he'd just remembered something _grand._ "Hey, Hiccup."

Oh gods. Something about the look on his face echoed mischief, and Henrik had the _worst _idea of where his friend's thoughts were going. He swallowed. "Hm?"

"You ever _try_ loopy juice before?"

Henrik's eyes widened. "_What?_"

"Just hear me out on this!" Jack sat up abruptly and put a hand on the younger boy's shoulder. "North's always saying stuff about how it's an adult drink, right? That only the _really _big kids can have it?"

"Jack I really don't think this is a– "

"_Right?_"

Henrik paused. He wanted to speak up but the urgency on his friend's face silenced him. The younger sighed. "Right."

Jack hopped back onto the floor and made wild gestures with his hands (how they related to what he was saying, Henrik would never know) with a devious smile. "Well, I'm _technically _a big kid now, so we could totally sneak some and see what the big deal is!"

_Was he serious?_

Henrik didn't even _want_ to imagine how mad his Dad would get, and when he disappointed his Mom it was the _worst _feeling in the world. They were gonna get in so much trouble for this; what was Jack even _thinking!? _He thought carefully for a minute for something – any little detail that would make his stupid plan a bust. His thoughts locked on a comment his Mom had made when he asked about it a couple of years back. "Are you even _old enough _to drink it?"

Jack shrugged. "Well, not _technically _but…"

"12 isn't 21, Jack."

Jack simply grinned. "It is if you read it backwards."

Henrik scoffed. "You're nuts."

"Oh come on, Hiccup!" His shoulders sank and he threw his head back with a long, dramatic groan. "Don't even _try_ to tell me you haven't thought about it!"

"Well yeah, but I don't wanna actually _drink _it!"

Jack rolled his eyes and crossed his arms with a loud huff. "_Laammmeee…_"

"Whatever…" Henrik rolled his eyes as well and let his back hit the mattress, staring up at the swirls on the ceiling for a moment as if they held the meaning of life or something. A slight shift of weight and a less-than-gentle crashing sound alerted him that Jack was lying beside him. They stared up at the ceiling quietly until Henrik could feel his friend peeking over at him.

"Hey, Hiccup."

He nodded soundlessly.

"What do you wanna do with the New Year coming?"

The younger boy turned his head a bit, ignoring the way his hair statically clumped and clung to the comforted in doing so. "What do you mean?"

Jack smiled at him. "Your resolutions, dummy. You're supposed to make a list of stuff you wanna do on New Year's before you break 'em later."

He tilted his head to the side, confused. "Why would you make a promise you don't wanna keep, even if it _is _to yourself?"

"Beats me," Jack sniggered. "Between you and me, I think people do it to make themselves feel better."

Henrik turned his attention to the ceiling again, letting his pupils follow the patterns painted on them. "Weird… Do _you _have any?"

"Sure do!" The older boy cheered, sitting up straight and peeking down at the younger. Out of his peripherals, he noted the smile on Jack's face, as if he were proud of himself. "I wanna get a little taller_. _Maybe get an A on a math quiz or join a club or something."

Henrik raised an eyebrow at his first comment. "Since when did you care about your grades?"

"Since Emma beat me this year! She's a _whole _letter grade smarter than me!"

He giggled at his friend's petty motivation, earning him a playful punch in the arm. He sat up and turned to his friend with a smile. "Maybe if you did your homework, you'd get a better grade."

Jack crossed his arms and raised his chin with a frown. "Why should I do some _dumb_ homework about something I _don't_ even care about?"

"Cause that's how you get good grades, doofus."

"Lame…" The older boy narrowed his eyes and peeked over at Henrik, annoyance evident on his face. "Maybe if they made our homework about something cooler than stupid _math,_ I'd do it."

Henrik rolled his eyes and nudged his arm a bit. "It's not _that _bad. Besides, if you get stuck on anything I can always climb over and help you out."

"I guess." Jack sighed. "Heh. You're probably the only reason I'm getting _any _done at all."

The younger boy smiled widely and giggled. "You're welcome."

* * *

New Year's Eve was a less than eventful day.

Henrik's good mood hadn't wavered since he'd sprung out of bed that morning, yet he, Jack, and Emma hadn't particularly done anything extravagant or notable. The only major highlight he could remember off the top of his head was Emma managing to talk his Dad into playing dolls with her. Jack and he were giggling for what felt like _hours _when North decided to pitch in (after a few awkward "help me" glances from Sven) and the two older men awkwardly interacted with her. Emma continuously complained that they weren't doing it right and eventually sauntered off. Of course, her natural back-up plan was to ask Henrik if he wanted to play – to which he _actually _managed to properly decline – but ended up talking to Val for a while.

Something about their little chat made Henrik smile. Emma was a very open book around his Mom, talking about whatever popped into her head with a little smile; his Mom always responded sweetly, in a calm, collected voice that he'd grown accustomed to hearing laced into a lullaby as he fell asleep at night. She had a gentle nature about her, one that showed through her behavior and drew a smile to Henrik's face.

The adults sat in the living room; idly chatting as the sun slowly crept along the sky and hid beneath the horizon line, painting the once-blue canvas a lovely gradient of slight crimson and deep plum. Stars slowly faded into view as it darkened, freckling into an indistinguishable pattern as the moon rose. And as night breathed its staggering first breath, Henrik noticed North and his father pulling out glass bottles of loopy juice – just like they did every year – before plopping themselves onto the couch and shooing the kids to go play. He peeked up at his mother who had a bottle as well, and Val kissed his forehead and patted his shoulder.

"We'll be going home after midnight, alright?" she smiled at him gently with a soft expression. "Come down around then, and we'll all watch the ball drop on TV together." When Henrik nodded, she gestured for him to go so he scurried out of the room with Jack and Emma. The three of them started for the stairs until Jack held up a hand to stop them.

"Hold up a minute, guys," he smirked knowingly, turning to the two of them with a mischievous smile.

Emma and Henrik exchanged looks and shrugged. The younger boy raised an eyebrow. "Something wrong?"

"Hm…" Jack tapped his lips with a finger and thought carefully for a moment, before snapping his fingers and smiling again. "Emma, you head upstairs first. Hiccup and I will meet you in your room in a bit."

Her face fell a bit. "Huh? Why?" She crossed her arms and pouted, jutting out her bottom lip cutely. "Are you and Henrik doing something stupid?"

Jack shrugged. "Ma~ybe."

Henrik gulped. He _knew_ that smile like the back of his hand; the older boy tended to wear it when he was up to something, like planning a prank or sneaking off the playground to climb a tree (he _always _ends up getting caught, I might add) at recess. Yet that smile and the singsong tone of his voice were a lot more… _suggestive _than usual. This couldn't mean anything good.

"Jeez…" the young girl sighed, placing her hands on her hips before turning to Henrik with a stern glare. "You two _better_ not get in any trouble!"

Henrik awkwardly smiled at her, and she blushed a bit. Jack sniggered. "Puh-_lease_. You're only in trouble if you get caught and Hiccup and I are the _masters _of stealth." He peeked over at the younger boy with a smirk and elbowed his arm. "Right, Hiccup?"

"Uh… right."

"Good." Jack's smile only widened more. Okay. Henrik was _positive _this couldn't be good. "Then we'll see you in a little bit, squirt."

Emma nodded, peeking at Henrik one last time before hopping up the stairs hurriedly. The two boys watched her as she ran down the hall and carefully shut her bedroom door before Jack glanced over at him with a smile.

Henrik wasn't sure _what _he was up to, but he wasn't sure he liked it.

* * *

"Remind me again what we're doing?"

Jack spun on his heel to turn and smirk at the younger boy. He crossed his arms as Henrik stepped into the kitchen and raised his head proudly. "It's a surprise."

"I hate surprises…" Henrik huffed, blowing his bangs out of his face with a quick, heavy breath. He noticed Jack's steps leading them toward the fridge and he raised an eyebrow as he popped open the door and leaned in. He watched him fumble for something for a while before he finally uttered a tiny 'aha!' and emerged with a cocky smirk and something hidden behind his back. "…what'd you get?"

Jack smiled, the gesture devious in a way that seemed to say "I can't tell you" and made Henrik's stomach turn a bit. He was up to something; there was no doubt about it. He soundlessly strided toward the stairs and fumbled to sneak up them quietly, eying the adults in the living room as he slid up the stairs. Henrik followed behind him curiously, a sour expression on his face since he couldn't _quite _see what the older boy had in his hands. They slid into Jack's room and he closed the door gently, as if he were trying to not make any noise. The dork. What the _heck _was he doing? He spun on his heel like before (wincing a bit when the carpet burned him doing so) and smirked at Henrik widely.

Henrik gulped. "Alright, what's up with you, doofus?"

"Oh nothing… just," he held out a tiny glass bottle with a white label (tinier than the bottles the adults had, he mentally noted) and grinned. "_This!_"

It took Henrik a moment to put two-and-two together. Jack had loopy juice!

"DUDE!" he yelled, earning a 'shhh' from his older friend. What the heck was Jack thinking!? They were gonna get in _so much _trouble if North found it! He lowered his voice and quietly screamed, "Are you crazy? North's gonna kill us!"

Jack chuckled. "Oh relax. It's not like we're drinking the whole thing!" He popped open the cap and took a sniff, wincing a bit. "Oof… yeah, let's only take a sip."

"You promised we weren't gonna do it!"

"Actually," Jack grinned victoriously, "I didn't _promise_ anything. _You_ got mad and we got off topic."

Henrik rubbed his temples, feeling the slightest twinge of annoyance throb in his skull. "Jack, this is crazy… We're gonna get in trouble."

"I told you, Hiccup," He felt a hand on his shoulder and peeked up at Jack, who was smiling a bit gentler and holding the bottle in his other hand. The tension in his shoulders eased a bit and Henrik _tried _to relax. "You're only in trouble if you get caught. So we'll take one sip each then put it back, deal?"

He was stupid. Crazy. An absolutely _moron_ if he thought Henrik was agreeing to this.

"Dude, no!"

Jack groaned. "Oh come _on…_"

"No way!"

"Come _ooonnnn…_" He jutted out his bottom lip and pouted. "It's no _fun _without you."

Henrik rolled his eyes. If he thought he could guilt trip him into this, he was _sadly _mistaken. "No, Jack."

"Fine," Jack turned away from him, facing the window with the bottle in his hand. "I'll drink it myself, then."

He just rolled his eyes again and crossed his arms, watching his form carefully. He noticed the hand holding the bottle came up and Jack tipped his head back a bit. There was a gulp and a shudder, and Henrik _really _didn't want to admit he was curious as to how it tasted. Jack's shoulders shook and he coughed with a snigger. "Eww…"

Henrik raised an eyebrow. "Is it bad?"

Jack shrugged. He held up the bottle and smiled awkwardly. "Dunno, Hiccup. You tell me."

"I'm _not _drinking any, you doof."

The eldest boy took another swig and cringed. "Suit yourself. It's pretty weird."

"Like, _weird _weird or good weird?"

Jack took another sip. He wobbled a bit and put the bottle on the dresser. "It's kinda gross."

Henrik could feel the twinge of anger in the back of his head throbbing and swelling. "Then stop drinking it, doofus!"

"Not until _you _take a sip!" Jack spat, crossing his arms with a frown.

The younger groaned, throwing his head back as he let his shoulders slump. "If I take a sip will you _put it back?!_"

Jack smirked. He made a cross over his chest with his thumb and held up his right hand. "Cross my heart."

Henrik thought carefully for a minute. He _knew _if he got caught drinking it, his Dad would probably kill him. But at the _same _time, he didn't want Jack to end up making himself sick. His head hurt. This was _so _ridiculously stupid but he ended up snatching away the bottle despite his mind's rampant protests.

"Fine." He huffed. "But we're putting it back the _second _I'm done, okay?"

"Fine, fine, fine…" Jack nodded. Henrik found himself staring at the mouth of the bottle and shuddering at the _nauseating _scent the filled his nostrils as he neared the drink toward his face. From the corner of his eyes, he noted the curious expression on Jack's face and pushed back the small urge to hit him. He shuddered a bit, staring aimlessly at the clear loopy juice inside before bringing it to his lips and hesitantly tipping up the bottle. A small amount of the curious liquid fled from it.

Bitter. Oh _gross _it was bitter and the taste made him want to _gag. _He felt his shoulders shake a bit as he swallowed it, a small sting lingering in the back of his throat and tickling his nostrils as it went down. Was it even _possible _to smell something he'd drunken? Because he could still smell that strong, horrible stench, pretty much _feel _it in his body, _feel _the revolting tremor of disgust wrecking through his body and settling in his belly; it was _awful _yet something sort of sweet clung to his taste buds and the most curious aftertaste lingered.

It was _disgusting_, but at the same time he kind of wanted another sip.

Jack sniggered as Henrik considered doing just that. He put a hand on his shoulder and laughed, "Weird, right?"

"It's _gross._" Henrik stuttered, smacking his lips a bit before gingerly placing the bottle on his dresser again. "But… I kinda like it."

Jack laughed. He popped the cap back on the bottle and held it again. "I know, it's so weird!"

Henrik thought for a moment. He focused on the feelings in his body and noted no difference, other than the peculiar taste on his tongue and unsettling discomfort in his stomach. "Do you… do you_ feel _any loopier?"

"Not really, kinda got a tummy ache…" Jack looked down at himself for a minute, as if to check and make sure he hadn't grown any extra limbs or something. "Maybe it only works on adults."

"Well _that's _lame." Henrik huffed, brushing his bangs out of his eyes.

Jack sniggered. "No kidding. What a waste of time… Should we go put it back now?"

"Yeah, before our parents notice."

The two boys nodded and scurried down the stairs, sliding stealthily into the kitchen.

* * *

Four minutes until midnight, and Henrik couldn't stop bouncing around.

Usually on New Year's, he'd pass out around eleven trying to catch a New Year's wish at midnight but for whatever reason, he couldn't stop jumping around. His limbs jittered and shook violently and his mind wouldn't stop racing; it was _really _strange. Henrik didn't _think _he had any caffeine that night (he had a soda around lunch but that was it, really) yet he was bouncing off the walls. He couldn't quite place his finger on it, but something felt off. Jack was sort of acting the same way; he could hardly sit still and he was talking _faster _than usual – if it were even possible!

The adults had called them downstairs around 11:30, while they were playing house with Emma. The three of them ran down to find Sven, North, and Val all laid out on the living room couches, a couple of empty glass bottles randomly placed on the coffee table. The TV was already on Channel 6 like it was every year, and the buzz of applause echoed across the room as music faded out. Henrik's first instinct was to run for his mother, a smile on his face when she scooped him up and gingerly placed him on her lap, her arms tightly locked around his smaller form. Emma sat beside them with a shy smile, and Val let an arm slink around her shoulders to pull her close. The young girl smiled and let her head rest on her side. Jack, however, climbed onto North without a second thought. It seemed like he caught him off guard, since he plopped himself down on his lap and North let out a small groan in response, patting him on the head with a hearty laugh.

Minutes passed like hours laced with laughter and idle chatter. It seemed like none of them could really wait for the New Year to start; even Sven had a widened smile on his face and merriment laced in his voice. The entire scene felt friendly, and sort of warm. Henrik curled into his mother's hug a bit more and took in every detail: the challenging smirk on Jack's face as he bickered with Emma senselessly; the roar of North's laughter mixed with his own father's; the warmth of his mother and the gentleness in her touch; the slightest stench of loopy juice on her breath (he felt guilty knowing his own breath probably smelt the same); and the crescendo of the countdown as the year drew to an end.

"5…!"

Henrik thought about all the fun he'd had in school with Jack that year, all the antics and mischief and _stupid _trouble they'd gotten into.

"4…!"

He thought about his friend's ridiculous laugh and stupid smile whenever they got caught; about bickering over the _stupidest _things; about getting scared on Halloween and fumbling for bravery; about facing his fears and _actually _talking to Astrid in gym class.

"3…!"

He thought of all the friends he was making in classes, about his grades and how much taller Jack had gotten. Henrik recalled being able to swim in his t-shirts in January, but now they fit like a glove.

"2…!"

Henrik remembered all the good times, all his late night chats with his Mom and playful arguments with his Dad; all the phonebooks Toothless chewed through over the summer and all the scoldings his father gave him.

"…1!"

He remembered all the questions he wanted to ask but never had the courage to, all the fears he faced and fumbled over as he discovered them. He even thought back to Jack's comments, all the advice he'd given him over the years and clever musings about nothing in particular. Henrik remembered asking him so much yet so little, remembered _knowing _so much about him and yet… nothing at all. He knew the boy's favorite color, his favorite books and favorite foods, the things he hated and the way he felt about his peers. But Henrik still knew… _nothing. _He didn't know who Jack was.

_What do you wanna do with the New Year coming?_

It all boiled down to a stinging curiosity: he wanted to know more about Jack. He wanted to know how deep his personality went, what stories he carefully hid and fibbed about (he had the _worst _lying tell), and to finally get the answer to all the questions buzzing in his head. He wanted to know what kind of person Jack was when he wasn't around and why.

"Happy New Year!"

The deafening cheers of his friends and family _rang _through the air, cutting clean against his eardrums like the blade of a knife. He caught each voice laughing, each voice whooping and hollering with joy, and even caught North screaming in Russian (yeesh, Jack wasn't kidding) as the crowd on the TV applauded. A smile worked its way across each of their faces, even onto his own. Val pressed playful little kisses on the top of his head and his cheeks, drawing little giggles and _Mom, stop it'_s from the young boy. Emma giggled similarly beside him; eyes shut and smile gleaming across each cheek. She tapped his shoulder lightly and blushed a bit. "Happy New Year's, Henrik."

Henrik wiggled out of Val's grasp and patted her head lightly. "Happy New Year's, Emma."

December 31st was a good day, and Henrik wasn't particularly sure why.

* * *

**Author's Note: **That was actually pretty painful to write over this week. I have plans for next chapter, so~ yeah. I promise better quality next time! Thank you for the reviews and follows, and the age corrections!


	8. The Very Center

**Author's Note: **I actually had plans for this chapter! *squee* And I'll start apologizing next chapter. We're finally reaching the chapters I _actually_ had planned out at the beginning of the story. Jack and Emma are getting to that age where brothers and sisters bicker, so I'm warning you ahead of time.

**Basic Overview: **Valentine's Day has taken Burgess by storm, and the boys have a thing or two to learn about the holiday.

**Point of View: **3rd person: Jack/Hiccup alternation

**Warnings: "**Suggestive" themes, I guess, but nothing _particularly _horrible.

**Age Reminder: **Jack is 12 (5th grade); Hiccup is 10 (5th grade); Emma is 9 (3rd grade)

* * *

**Chapter 8: The Very Center**

**February 14****th**

* * *

"Mornin' North!"

Jack strided into the kitchen that morning in a loose grey t-shirt and a pair of old shorts, his eyelids drooping sleepily as he fumbled to walk in a straight line. Waking up that morning was a tough feat; the young warrior had to slay dangerous creatures and duel with dastardly villains before he could open his eyes. The thrill of victory seemed to throttle him into sleep's sweet gravitation, beckoning him back with every test-wiggle of his toes and slight movements toward the edge of the mattress. Somewhere between his galactic adventures and his showdown with Jolly Roger, he crashed into the ground (with a thud he was surprised Emma and North hadn't heard) and finally willed himself awake, the dull throb of pain in his back assisting him in his quest.

While he messily ruffled his hair and picked out his clothes for the day, he noted the sticky note he'd stuck the dresser. Scribble on its surface was, "Valentine's Day: don't forget the cards this year" along with a few crudely drawn frowny faces. And – sure enough – when he glanced over at his nightstand, the bag he'd set aside for the cards was empty. Whoops. It must have slipped his mind. Oh well. He crumpled up the sticky with a shrug and tossed it aside; it was probably his _least _favorite holiday of the year, so why should he care anyways? He could just as easily _tell _people "Happy Valentine's Day", so it shouldn't be a big deal.

And when he'd finally gotten to the kitchen (after pretty much tripping over his own two feet a few times on the way down), he shouted his annual "good morning" and smiled slightly when the jolly old man returned it. Jack was pleased to find his Emma scribbling away at something on the kitchen table, and North scrambling eggs over the stove. He thought he smelt bacon (much to his delight) and eagerly hopped over to take a seat. From the corner of his eye, he noticed a pink, heart-shaped piece of paper beneath Emma's wandering blue crayon tip.

"Mornin' Emma," Jack grinned. He peeked down at the paper a bit more and noticed a few white hearts lying seemingly-random across it. "Whatcha got there?"

His sister glanced up at him curiously and curled her arm around the edge of the paper; the writing obscured behind her sleeve. "Nothing…"

"Doesn't _look _like nothing to me."

Emma glared at him, her eyebrows weaving downward and her lips pressing into a thin line. "It's none of your business, Jack!"

Jack raised an eyebrow, his interest heightening. What was she up to? The older brunette shrugged and turned away, watching Emma carefully out of the corner of his eye as she relaxed a bit and moved her arm. Before she could press her crayon to the paper, Jack shot his hand over and snatched the little pink heart away, holding it up high and standing to prevent her from reaching it. The young girl yelled. "H-Hey! Give that back!"

He batted her away with his free hand as she stretched for it on her tip-toes, his eyes scanning across the paper. Jack choked back a laugh as he read – in a _mockingly _high-pitched voice, "Happy Valentine's Day, Henrik! I think you're really sweet. Love, Emma."

"Jaaaack! Give it _back!_"

The older boy sniggered, pushing her back by the forehead. "No way. You made a Valentine for _Hiccup?_"

"Just give it _back_!" Emma's cheeks flushed. She stomped her foot angrily when Jack lowered the paper but shot it back into the air when she reached for it. "It's not funny, you meanie!"

"Oh, I get it!" Something clicked in his head and he felt his laughter crescendo. "You _like _him, don't you? Got a bad case of the _hiccups, _huh?"

She jutted out her bottom lip and whined, "I do _not!"_

"Emma and Hiccup, sittin' in a tree~"

"_Stop it, Jack!"_

Jack's smirked widened, and he sang even louder. "K-i-s-s-i-n-g~"

"_Dad! _Jack's picking on me!"

When Jack noticed North turning around to look at him, he jumped a bit and shot back at his sister, "I-I was _not!"_

"You were too!"

"Was _not! _Quit tryin' to get me in trouble!_"_

"Settle down, little ones!" North chuckled, extending his arm toward Jack with his palm upward. He gave him a quick scowl and a small 'give it to me' gesture with his fingers and Jack reluctantly handed him Emma's Valentine. The older boy huffed and sat down at the table, his back slouched forward and his arms crossed as he blew his bangs out of his face. He looked away when North handed Emma back the little pink heart and stuck his tongue out when she smirked at him victoriously. North sighed. He sat beside Jack and turned to him with a slight smile. "You should not joke about love, Jack; it is more special than you can ever imagine."

Jack rolled his eyes. _Here we go._

"You see, little ones," He watched his adoptive father stroll over to the counter and return to the table to place plates of food in front of Emma and him. Jack's immediate first response was to take a bite of his bacon. North folded his hands and exhaled. "Love is most powerful force in all the universe."

Emma gaped at him with a dreamy smile. "_Really?"_

"Of course!" North chuckled, and Jack scoffed.

The boy spat sarcastically, "Stronger than Superman?"

"Stronger than _anything _you can imagine, Jack."

Jack huffed. "Yeah right…" He took a bite of his eggs and sank in his seat a bit more. "What's so great about this love stuff anyways? Like, we get all the _cool_ holidays, like Christmas and Halloween and then… Valentine's Day." As if to express his disdain for the holiday itself, Jack shuddered. He poked at his eggs with his fork and let his eyes lower a bit. "Sounds pretty lame to me if all you do is have to give candy to people. I mean, that's what Halloween's for, right?"

"Well _I _think it's a great holiday," Emma mused as-a-matter-of-factly. She sipped her juice box and smiled. "It's nice to tell people that you care about them."

Jack sniggered under his breath, "What, you mean like Hiccup?"

Emma glared _daggers _(maybe even rocket launchers or something; _dang _she was mad) at him. He choked back a laugh and looked up at North when the older man cleared his throat. He continued, "Love is something that brings everyone together, Jack. Family and friend, brother and sister… It is powerful emotion _so _strong it can bring even the most different of people together."

"… but isn't it where cooties come from, though?"

Emma scoffed. "There's no such thing as cooties, stupid…"

"Well yeah, _you'd _think that," Jack sniggered, nibbling his bacon again. "Girls aren't _supposed _to know they have 'em."

North's laughter rang through the kitchen, drowning out Emma's mini-complaints. As they finished up their breakfast and Emma skipped upstairs (holding onto Hiccup's Valentine rather _tightly _after Jack threatened to snatch it again), Jack rinsed the dishes with his adoptive father. He washed and North dried, and it didn't take them particularly _too _long to get them done. As he turned to head upstairs and change, North called for him.

"Hey, Jack," The older man stood before him and smiled. "I tell you something good, yes?"

"Sure," Jack nodded. "What's up?"

North knelt in front of him, his eyes meeting Jack's at the new height. He placed a hand on the young boy's shoulder and smiled sincerely. "I know it is not easy to understand, but when two people fall in love, they are able to see something other people cannot."

Jack raised an eyebrow. Well_ that _was out of nowhere.

"You see, every person in this world has something very special inside of them, something that only someone who _really _cares for them can see." He folded his fingers calmly and let his index finger jab at the center of Jack's chest, right over his heart. Jack gaped at him, his eyes wide and full of curiosity at the newfound information. He even looked down to where North was pointing, as if he were expecting to find something different than usual. North's smile softened a bit, the sincerity seeping through with each passing second.

"Someone who _truly _loves you can see right through you, to your very center."

Jack paused for a moment, trying to process what North had just told him. "My… _center?_"

"Yes," North chuckled as he stood again. "The _very _center of you."

"You mean like… my _guts _and stuff?"

North's laughter rang throughout the room and Jack couldn't wrap his head around _why _that was funny. "Not quite… Perhaps you are too young to understand."

It didn't make any sense at all, now that he thought about it. Jack learned in science class that in the center of a person's chest is their heart, and the heart pumps blood through the body, and the _brain _is where people think and feel things. What did _any _of that have to do with love? And he was too _young? _What the heck was _that _supposed to mean? Jack was a smart kid (in his own respect) and it wasn't like they were discussing quantum physics or the meaning of life or anything _deep _and _difficult; _it was just an emotion, so how could Jack not understand something as stupid as _love?_

"Too _young? _No way!" Jack huffed, looking up at North with a determined smile. "This love stuff can't be _that _hard to get…"

Before North could say anything, their attention was turned to Emma, who had skipped down the stairs in her favorite brown dress and her backpack slung over her shoulder. The older man chuckled and strided over to her, scooping her up into his arms and swinging her a bit. Emma giggled, her hair tossing around on her head and her bangs messily falling into her eyes for a moment. She quickly brushed them away and curled into North's chest. Jack felt himself laughing a bit too as he started for the stairs, looking back at his family with the slightest grin.

North kissed her forehead. "You are beautiful little princess."

Emma giggled, her fingers lightly curling into fists that she pulled close to her chest. Jack slowly started his ascension up the stairs, and just barely heard the old man say, in a hush, earnest voice:

"Beautiful, just like your mother was."

And Jack's lips twitched a bit, his smile fading with every step he took. The words seemed to ricochet in his mind and as he made his way into his room. The boy closed his door and let his back slide down it until he sat on the floor, his knees close to his chest and his arms loosely hanging to his sides, fingertips barely brushing the carpet.

_Just like your mother was._

Jack let his eyes lower. North could _never_ understand how true that was.

* * *

Maybe he was just being shy, but Henrik dreaded the idea of walking into class that morning.

It wasn't that he disliked Valentine's Day; he and his Mom had a tradition of baking cookies together, so it wasn't _all _that bad. Rather, he detested the idea of passing out candy and cards to people he's never spoken to before. Last year, he'd gotten lucky; the holiday had fallen on a Sunday so he was blessed with the privilege of hanging out with his family. Val bought them frosting and the two of them made cupcakes. _Gods _those cupcakes were good. And – weirdly enough – Sven walked him over to Jack's house and he'd slept over for the night. It was a _great _Valentine's Day overall.

But this year, the weekend breathed its last and birthed the _accursed _holiday on a Monday, forcing Henrik to unwillingly comply with its demands. Val picked him up a box of paper Valentines from the grocery store (they had little knights and dragons on them with corny puns; he _loved _how well she knew him), taped $1 heart-shaped lollipops to the top of them, carefully placed them in a bag for him, and packed his lunch that morning. He wobbled into school with a frown on his face, his thoughts stirring and slurring with every step. Jack yammered on beside him about gods know what, and they walked through the hallways, aimlessly waiting for their teachers to arrive and let them in. They settled themselves on a nearby bench overlooking the bottom floor, backpacks lazily tossed aside and leaned against the glass boundaries.

Henrik sighed, slouching back a bit until his sweater rode up against the brick. Jack glanced over at him questioningly, a slight chuckle in his voice. "I take it _you _don't like Valentine's Day either?"

"It's not that," he huffed, shutting his eyes and letting his head tilt back a bit. "I just don't wanna give out Valentines to people I don't talk to."

Jack sniggered. "Not even to _Astrid?" _

He jumped a bit, feeling his cheeks flush a little when her smile came to mind. "S-She's different."

"Different, yeah," he crossed his arms and leaned back too, the sound of his jacket scuffing against the wall alerting Henrik he scooted closer to him. "So you're _not _gonna give her one?"

"I didn't say _that…_"

"Heh," Jack grin widened. "You _like_ her, don't you?"

"Do _not_!" Henrik spat, sitting up straight and crossing his arms indignantly. The tension in his shoulders eased as he thought about Astrid for a moment, her laugh and smile making their way into his thoughts. He thought back to the gym class they met and she'd complimented his favorite t-shirt – plain white with a black dragon silhouette – and how she mentioned that she liked dragons too. He thought about the way she laughed at his jokes – even the terrible ones, what a gal – and the mini-conversations they'd had in gym. Henrik sighed. "I just… I think she's really cool and nice and kinda… sorta… really pretty."

Jack snorted. He sat up with him and smacked him on the back (a little harder than he'd consider to be playful), causing Henrik to arch forward a bit and yelp. "You're crushing, doofus."

"Nuh-uh..." He gulped, fixing his sweater a bit and wiggling in his seat. "She doesn't even talk to me, Jack. We just have gym together and when we do talk it's about homework or something."

Jack shrugged. They sat in silence for a moment before the older boy brushed his bangs out of his face, peeking over at him with narrowed, blue eyes. "Well whatever it is you two've got goin', don't start getting weird on me." He stood, spinning on his heel to face the younger boy with a grin and an eyebrow cocked. Jack's voice rang playfully, but the slightest hint of seriousness slid beneath every word. "And no kissin' her, you hear me? I don't wanna be that kid with a friend whose got the cooties…"

Henrik sniggered. Jack was so weird sometimes. "There's no such things as cooties, ya' doof."

"Aw man," Jack groaned. "They say denial is the first sign!"

He rolled his eyes, watching Jack flail around like a dork. He bit back a laugh and picked up his backpack again, slinging it over his shoulder lethargically. "You're an idiot."

And he wasn't sure why, but Jack just grinned.

* * *

Hiccup must have thought he was _so _stealthy.

When the lunch bell rang, Jack waited at the end of the hall for Hiccup's class to come and they met up to walk to the cafeteria together. The first thing he noticed – right off the bat – was the slight flush of Hiccup's cheeks. The freckled skin was a bit… _redder _than Jack had grown accustomed to, and the slightest smile tugged at the corner of his friend's quivering lips. It was weird; Hiccup was shaking like a _leaf _but it wasn't even that cold inside. His brunette lockers were disheveled, curled and spiked in the _oddest _of places as if someone had pulled or brushed it aside roughly (he dared to think for a minute Hiccup did) or the wind blew by too fast and threw it over his scalp.

And even weirder? When he spoke, his voice faltered and failed him. When Jack called out to him, Hiccup answered with a shaky, "H-Hi Jack."

His voice sort of cracked, in a way; not in pitch, but in wavering consistency that perplexed the older boy. He scanned his eyes over his friend subtly, noting the way his shoulders had tensed and toes curled beneath his sneakers. Jack raised an eyebrow. "You okay? You look like you just saw a ghost or something."

"Y-Yeah, I'm good," Hiccup fumbled, awkwardly running his fingers through his hair. Jack watched his eyes and noticed him glance down at his lunch bag; he mimicked the gesture and noticed a neatly folded piece of red construction paper sticking out. The edge curved as it obscured in the bag, and Jack thought back to the little pink Valentine Emma had made him that morning. Two-and-two came together and Jack felt the _greatest _smirk working its way onto his face.

Hiccup made Astrid a Valentine, and he was trying to hide it.

It made sense, but man, oh _man _that was rich! Hiccup had a crush and Jack had no idea why that amused him so much; maybe he just found it funny how Hiccup seemed to quake when he mentioned her name, or the way his cheeks flushed the _loveliest _shade of crimson when he picked on him about it. Maybe he liked how Hiccup seemed to think he wouldn't notice (he wasn't master of stealth for nothing, ya' know) or how he seemed to underestimate Jack's ability to meddle. He didn't know _what _aboutthis was so entertaining to him, but he paid it no mind.

Jack _always _knew when there was fun to be had – and thiswas _definitely _one of those times.

The older brunette snorted a bit, brushing off his thoughts and throwing his arm around Hiccup's shoulder as they started to make their way down the hall. "You guys pass out your valentines yet?"

Hiccup simply nodded. He blew his bangs out of his eyes and peeked over. "Y-Yeah. It was kinda awkward."

"No kidding," Jack sighed, recalling his own class's exchange and grimacing at the looks a lot of the girls had given him when he walked by. "At least it's over. How'd you hold up?"

His arm drooped a little and he noticed Hiccup's shoulders sinking. "Eh… not too well." Hiccup scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "I-I kinda choked up and tripped while I was walking around and I'm pretty sure everyone thinks I'm a freak now."

Jack triednot to laugh at the image of a clumsy Hiccup tumbling across the classroom. _Tried _being keyword. He choked back a laugh and gave the boy a pat on the back. "Yikes! Hope you're not that clumsy this recess."

"Huh?" Hiccup peeked over at him, an eyebrow raised. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well," The older boy let go of his shoulders and stopped, spinning on his heel a bit to turn to the younger. He folded his arms across his chest and leaned forward a bit, a cocky little smile working its way onto his face. "I just kinda figured since it's Monday, and you don't have gym so you won't _get _to see Astrid any time else," He pointed to Hiccup's lunch bag and snorted when he jumped, cheeks flushing. "You'd wanna give her the card while you've got the chance."

The look he was getting was _priceless. _This was fantastic!Oh god, Jack almost couldn't handle how flustered he looked; he was caught red-handed and he had the _worst _poker face! What a doofus!

"H-How did you even…"

"Face it, Hic~cup," Jack almost _sang _in triumph, his voice laced with the smuggest pride. He leaned forward more to poke his friend in the nose, sniggering when Hiccup nervously took a step back. "You're a sucky liar. 'sides, you should _know _you can't hide anything from me."

The freckled brunette huffed, brushing his bangs out of his face and looking away. He furrowed his eyebrows and let the tension in his limbs ease, his arms falling from his face limply to his sides. "…fine. I-I made her a valentine."

"A~nd?"

Jack sniggered. He could almost _see _the little vein popping in his forehead. Hiccup groaned. "I was… gonna… give it to her at recess."

"I knew it!" The older boy cheered, practically jumping in triumph. He started down the hall again and his best friend followed, his steps languid and long. Hiccup caught up to Jack's unusually fast-pace and they swung a corner into the cafeteria, hurrying to their usual spot to talk. And as they sat, Jack smirked. Hiccup's cheeks were the funniest shade of pink and his body language was tenser; it was _obvious _the poor sucker was embarrassed, but for some reason Jack found that all the more amusing. He found it interesting how easy it was the fluster the boy, and he pondered how he funny his reaction was going to be if Astrid liked him back.

It was a strange thought – in its own way – since he usually didn't care about this kinda stuff; but the thought of Hiccup reducing from his usually composed, sorta-awkward self to a hiccupping mess of "ums" and "uhhs" fascinated him. He found it sort of funny, but at the same time it interested him to see the various shades on the spectrum of the boy's personality. It was like getting to know him without having to talk.

Jack didn't really know what it was, but Hiccup was really interesting.

* * *

"I can't believe she hugged you!"

Henrik's heart went a flutter as the memory replayed in his head and he turned to Jack with a slight smile. The elder brunette had pushed him across the playground to go give Astrid her valentine, and when he finally managed to choke out a "Happy Valentine's Day, Astrid" she smiled at him, gave him a light punch in the arm (ouch, by the way), and – Henrik _still _couldn't wrap his head around it – threw her arms around him in a gentle hug. He remembered going completely stiff and his thoughts running a million miles a minute, his heart doing jumping jacks and his knees wobbling nervously.

And of course, from over her shoulder he noticed Jack grinning at him from across the blacktop, and he tried to ignore it with all his strength but ended up giggling like a dork and – he didn't know _how _or _what _he did – making Astrid laugh. When he wobbled back over to his friend they chatted about it for a while, and he found himself inadvertently talking about Astrid while Jack just smiled at him, his eyes narrowed a bit and his eyes scanning across his face.

"M-Me either," Henrik fiddled with the zipper on his jacket's sleeve, peeking over at the smirking boy beside him. Jack had run onto the bus before him and snatched the window seat, and while he'd usually bicker with him over it, the day's events drowned out any will to fight and replaced it with tremors of a sort of awkward joy. His friend sniggered, elbowing him in the arm.

"Heh. Better break the news to Emma, then." Jack looked around them, half-covering his mouth with his hand as he peeked over at his sister in the seat beside them. Emma looked over when she'd heard her name and furrowed her eyebrows, clearly not amused. "Between you and me, I think she's got a _thing _for you."

Henrik giggled, and Emma snapped up. She reached over and smacked Jack in the thigh, earning a half-hearted ow from the older boy. She crossed her arms, cheeks reddening. "I do _not!_"

"Yeah, I'm so~ sure!" Jack rolled his eyes. "That's why this morning you made him a valen—"

Emma chucked her hat at him, (Henrik had enough sense to duck) nailing him square in the jaw. Jack lazily peeled it off his face with his hand, throwing her a glare and Henrik didn't even _try _to hold back the laughter that followed the action. Emma huffed. "Did _not._"

Jack smirked. "Did _too._"

"I did _not!" _

"You so did! Quit fibbing!"

"Mind your own beeswax!"

"Real cute, Emma; you come up with that one yourself?"

"Stop it!"

The two of them bickering _really _shouldn't have been as funny as Henrik found it. By the end of the bus ride they may as well have been yelling at each other; Jack dropped a comment about how Emma allegedly practiced confessing to him in the mirror and Henrik was about 90% sure that if he hadn't been in the way, she would've pounced him for it. Luckily, though, they reached their stop before the two of them could kill each other and Henrik – the ever so clever one – made sure to walk between them to give them some distance.

* * *

"Welcome back, sweetie!"

Henrik smiled as he stepped into the house, tugging off his sneakers and gingerly placing them on the front mat. "Hi Mom!" He shouted back, a smile tugging at his lips. He let the strap of his backpack slide down his shoulder and plop beside the coffee table, wincing a bit when the clang of heavy books hitting the ground echoed through the living room. A sweet smell drifted about the air, and Henrik immediately recognized the scent of frosting and batter coming from the kitchen. Taking a minute to rub his shoulder (his teacher was _crazy_; why did they need so many books?) he turned his attention to the yipping little fur ball hurdling towards him from the kitchen at light speed.

Toothless panted, hopping up on his calves with a wagging little tail that echoed excitement. "Hey, bud," the boy replied to his eager little friend. Instinctively, Henrik threw his arms open, knelt down to his height, and let the little guy lick at his face for a minute, sniggering when he got his nose and groaning with disgust when he nearly licked his lips. He wiped it off on the back of his hand and plucked Toothless of the floor, stepping into the kitchen with a smile.

Val smiled at him sweetly, her fingers deftly stirring batter in a large, metal bowl. "How was school? Did you make out alright with your valentines?"

"Yeah, I got a whole bunch of other ones from the other kids too," Henrik scratched at Toothless's neck and behind his ears, sniggering a bit when his leg twitched happily.

His mother leaned down to kiss the top of his head lovingly. "What about your friend? Did she like hers?"

Henrik's cheeks flushed, and Val simply chuckled. He nodded nervously, focusing more on the wiggling fur ball in his arms. When Toothless starting wriggling and thrashing about, he gently set him on the floor and watched him scurry off into the living room. Henrik turned to his mother. "What are you making?"

She showed him the batter as if that was supposed to answer his question. "Cupcakes."

"Can I help?"

"Of course!" Val cheered, handing him a butter knife and a bowl of pink frosting. When she turned to get a batch out of the oven, Henrik peeked over and attempted to stealthily sneak a bit of frosting onto his finger until she called back to him (without looking, I might add) "Finger out of bowl, Henrik."

He lowered his head guiltily and obeyed, stepping over towards her to start frosting the cupcakes. His smiled widened, and he turned to Val. "They smell really good!"

The woman laughed, pressing a light kiss to his forehead before returning to the bowl of batter. They switched places after a while – Henrik moved to the counter to frost the cupcakes that had been finished, and Val went to pour more batter into the pans. Idle chat filled the kitchen, about Sven's latest goof-ups and Jack's antics around school; laughter followed, and the two of them had a pretty good system going until Henrik ran out of cupcakes to frost, and the current batch had a good ten more minutes to finish up baking. They settled themselves in chairs around kitchen table together; Val fixed herself a cup of tea and Henrik kicked his feet as they dangled off his chair a bit.

"So your friend Jack," Val folded her hands on the table. "Did he give a valentine to a girl too?"

Henrik jumped a bit at the shift in topic. The thought of Jack having a crush drew a laugh from him. "No, Jack's not really the type. He told me he doesn't like Valentine's Day very much. He mentioned something about cooties and not wanting to give out candy to everyone."

"I see," she sipped her tea. "And the girl you gave your valentine to, is she a friend?"

His cheeks flushed a bit and his eyes lowered. "Yeah. We have gym together and she's really cool. She even likes dragons, Mom!"

Val chuckled, sipping her tea and setting it down gently before refolding her hands and leaning back in her seat a bit. "She sounds like a very special girl to you, Henrik."

"She is," he thought back for a moment and found himself smiling without meaning to. "We don't talk too much, but she's really pretty and she laughs at all my jokes."

"Is that really a reason to like her so much?"

Henrik pouted. "Of course it is!"

His mother laughed a bit loudly, and Henrik couldn't quite piece together how what he had said could have been funny. He fidgeted in his seat a little and felt his smile widen at the sound of Val's laughter. "You sound like your father sometimes, I swear."

They sat in a comfortable silence that was soon interrupted by the oven's blare and Val hurried over to pull out the last batch. Henrik placed his mother's empty tea cup in the sink and pulled the bowl of frosting onto the table. After letting them cool for a little bit – they double-teamed the cupcakes and coated their little tops with frosting carefully. He thought carefully for a while, about Valentine's Day and Astrid, clinging to every thought that popped into his head. One inquiry became a notable one, though, as he thought about something his teacher had said in class about 'love'.

"Hey, Mom?"

She looked up from the cupcake she was frosting. "Yes, dear?"

"What's being in love like?"

Val stopped what she was doing completely and her expression blanked a bit. She chuckled, gingerly placing her knife in the bowl and the cupcake on the table. "Well," she cleared her throat. "That's quite a question you're asking, Henrik. Is something on your mind?"

He shook his head. "Not really. Well.. Actually, my teacher was saying how Valentine's Day is a holiday for moms and dads and people who are in love. And… I dunno. I guess I don't get it."

His mother smiled gently at him and placed a hand over his. "Why don't we finish up the cupcakes, and then we'll talk?"

Henrik nodded, and he found himself hurrying up on his half without really meaning to.

* * *

"I guess Toothless is gonna sit in with us too."

Val strolled into the living room, smiling at the little black dog who perched himself on Henrik's lap. The little guy was wagging his tail like there was no tomorrow, running in circles on the boy's thighs restlessly. Henrik patted his head, hushing him as he yipped and eventually he sat down, curling himself into a furry black ball. Val sat beside them, letting her back sink into the cushions with a sigh. "So, you wanted to know about love?"

Henrik nodded, his eyes widening with curiosity. "What it's like?"

His mother thought carefully for a moment, tapping her chin with her index finger as if she had no idea what she wanted to say. Henrik's fingers curled into little fists on his sides; he wasn't sure why this interested him so much, but he was eager to hear the answer. Val took a deep breath and turned to him, her expression light yet serious. "When you fall in love with someone, it's… well, like nothing else you've ever felt before."

"How so?"

Val paused. "Well… something inside your heart feels… _different._"

"Different how?"

Another pause. Henrik was starting to get the impression his mother _really _didn't know how to word this properly. The expression she wore reminded him of when she lost something around the house and she was scrambling to find it; concentrated and a bit frustrated. However, her expression softened as if she'd finally struck gold and Henrik gaped in anticipation. "When you're around that person, the one you're meant to be with, you start to feel very comfortable, I suppose. You get butterflies in your stomach when they look at you, and – as you grow closer – you start to know things about them no one else does, and they to you. They become a part of your heart and something inside you never wants to let them go."

Henrik furrowed his eyebrows. "How do you know, though?"

"Know what?"

"When it's _that _person?"

"Well, Henrik," Val smiled sincerely, patting her son on the head with a look in her eyes that was almost reflective, as if she were pondering the thought herself. "Fate has a way of letting you know. When two people are _meant _to be with each other, they always find a way."

"Whoa." Henrik gaped for a moment, jaw dropped and eyes wide. His thoughts buzzed wildly with inquiries. "So, when you meet them you know?"

"Not quite," Val chuckled. "There are times like that, where you look and something clicks but generally speaking, these things take time, dear. Sometimes, they may come to you as someone you might not like very much."

The young boy cocked his head to the side, visibly confused. "Then… how does it happen? Or, when do you start liking them and loving them?"

"That's something your heart has to decide, Henrik," her expression softened to a sort of dreamy smile and she looked off somewhere, eyes a bit hazy. Henrik sniggered a bit. Her expression reminded him of one of those people on TV having a dramatic epiphany or something. She folded her hands in her lap, letting her back sink a bit more into the couch cushions before she spoke. "Maybe it isn't clear at first, or maybe you're not sure but things end up working out."

She put a hand over Henrik's, turning to him with a knowing smile that echoed something distant, something Henrik wasn't entirely sure he understood. "There will come a day when you care for someone so much that your life won't be the same without them. And when that day comes, your heart will tell you how it feels and I _swear: _you'll _know _exactly who you've fallen for."

The boy just stared at her for a minute, trying to wrap his head around the new information. He thoughts spun a bit and he furrowed his eyebrows, desperate to put together each of the misshapen fragments of info his mother had presented him with. Henrik couldn't quite understand it. Love suddenly seemed a lot more complex than he'd initially anticipated; on TV, it just seemed like you look at someone and that's who you end up with. Yet the way Val was smiling at him, the way her eyes seemed dreamy and hazy told him that wasn't quite right.

It struck him as a science, sort of, with hidden exceptions to every rule in the book and a depressing amount of complications that snagged its simplicity; he didn't get why you'd fall for someone you _hate, _or how loving someone else had any difference to loving your family. He didn't get where that almost divine revelation of 'wow I love this person' came from, or how the hard _anything _to do with this. Every piece of information seemed to collide with each other as he forced them together, clanking loudly in his head and ringing the dreadful sense of misunderstanding that clouded his mind. Henrik groaned, letting his head fall a bit.

He pulled his hand back gently and stroked Toothless's head on his lap. "I don't get it…" he admitted, a bit disappointed he wasn't able to understand. He didn't _think _love was so complex and in a way, it mesmerized and horrified him at the same time.

"I know you will, though." Val laughed, ruffling his hair before standing. She stepped toward him, leaning over to brush his bangs aside and press a light kiss to his forehead. "My handsome little Henrik… Oh, I know all those girls are going nuts over you."

Henrik tensed and Toothless woke up on his lap. He groaned. "Mom!"

She simply laughed, stepping out of the room and Henrik could even hear her yammering on in the kitchen. She shouted back, "I've gotta keep my eye on you; I don't any of them sweeping my little Henrik away too soon!"

"_MOM!_"

* * *

Jack and Hiccup met up on the rooftop that night.

He climbed out of his window and smirked when noticed his freckled friend carefully sliding out of his, stepping over carefully onto Jack's platform. They sat for a while, idly chatting as they stared up at the sky and Manny smiled down at them. A cool breeze blew by, ruffling their hair and knocking Hiccup's red scarf all over his face; Jack _tried _not to laugh, but found himself doing so when the younger boy wrestled to keep it wrapped around his neck. When they looked up at the stars, it seemed like they shined brighter than usual, peeking through the darkness with a newfound confidence.

Oddly enough, they were a lot… _quieter _than usual. Reflective, perhaps. Jack's thoughts buzzed angrily in his head as he fumbled to decipher North's "center" code, while Hiccup was still trying to wrap his head around what his mother had told him about falling in love. They didn't talk very much on Valentine's Day night, they simply thought and gazed at the stars weaving senseless patterns brightly. Sometime around midnight, when Hiccup finally gave him a quick 'goodbye' (laced beneath the _loudest _yawn) and hurried across the rooftops to his room, Jack let his mind wander.

And for a split second, he found himself wondering what would be at the center of Hiccup.

* * *

**Author's Note: ***jumps for joy* I had _plans _one and we're now beginning a sequence of chapters I'm going to personally apologize for! This was probably the longest chapter so far; usually I try to keep it at 12 pages minimum or at least 5,500 words but I had a lot planned out for Valentine's Day. Fff—the amounts of fluff I put in here. Okay. Enough of that nonsense! Thank you for the follows and reviews, and I'm going to apologize again!


	9. The Next Day

**Author's Note: **Time to start apologizing! Whoo-hoo! I'm going to be dead honest with you guys and admit this was the sequence of chapters that gave me the idea for the entire story. …which is kind of sick now that I think about it, but I'll quit verbalizing that thought while I'm ahead. Hope you like this chapter. Admittedly, it's _sort _of filler. More like setting the scene, I guess. Bleh. I am _horrible _about clever titles, so it's based on an instrumental by Thrice I've had on repeat for the last like… two hours.

**Basic Overview: **Spring break rolls in a _horrid _heat wave with it, but something doesn't seem quite right – and it's _not _the heat.

**Point of View: **3rd person: Jack

**Warnings: **Nothing horrible. Or at least not _yet_.

**Age Reminder: **Jack is 12 (5th grade); Hiccup is 11 (5th grade); Emma is 9 (3rd grade)

* * *

**Chapter 9: The Next Day**

**April 19****th ****– Spring Break**

* * *

**Monday**

* * *

The week of April 19th was probably the _hottest _of the year.

Jack pried himself out of bed that morning with damp, burning skin in a mess of blankets unconsciously thrown across the mattress. He could _feel _the stagnant heat in the air pooling around his awakening form as he sat up in his bed, the sheets clinging to his back a little bit as he moved. He sighed, rubbing his eyes and running his fingers through his hair tiredly. A grimace and groan shook his thoughts as he noted the greasier texture to his locks and felt a twinge of disgust; the feeling itself was gross, so he could only _imagine _he looked like something out of the gutter. Shoving past it, he curiously peeked over at the clock. Spring Break graced him with the privilege of sleeping in, and when his vision slowly stabilized and his eyes made out 10:04 am on his alarm clock, Jack knew he'd taken advantage of that privilege adequately.

With a bit of a stagger in his step, he made his way down the hall to check up on Emma. He poked his head in the doorway and smiled to himself when his younger sister was reading a book on her bed. Her hair was a bit wet (he assumed she'd just taken her bath) and she wore a large white t-shirt like a night-gown, along with her little pink slippers. Jack sauntered in with a yawn. "Morning, Emma."

She peeked up quickly, but her brown eyes drooped back to her book almost immediately. "Hey, Jack."

"North up yet?"

"I think so," Emma gingerly placed her book face-down on her nightstand. She hopped off her bed, skipping beside Jack as the two of them started down the stairs. With every step they felt the heat in the air slowly lift and thin, and by the time they swung the corner into the kitchen, the stagnant heat had dissipated into a more tolerable temperature. Jack sighed contently when he felt a cool breeze from the fan brush his cheek and oscillate toward Emma; as she mimicked the action, he peeked around the room, popping his head gingerly into the laundry room and tugging open the study door not too far away. North was nowhere in sight.

Jack dragged his feet a little as he loped into the kitchen, returning to his sister and giggling a bit when he noticed her standing directly in the path of the fan. Her hair blew back and her bangs flopped thinly across her forehead. She turned to him, hair still nudging to the side as the fan turned. "Where's Dad?"

"Dunno," he shrugged, peeking around the counters and living room end tables for a note or _something _to clue him in on where North could have gone. From the corner of his eye, he noted a green sticky note crudely slapped onto the refrigerator door; he tugged it off and read aloud, "Good morning, little ones! I will be working today, so the Haddocks will be keeping an eye on you. Head over as soon as you can, Jack stay out of trouble. North."

Emma sniggered at the last part and Jack rolled his eyes. "Guess we're hanging out with Hiccup today." Jack tried to fight back the slight smirk on his face but failed when Emma smiled a bit. He sighed, running his fingers through his hair and _immediately _regretting it when he remembered he hadn't showered yet. "I think I'm gonna take a shower quick. It's _gross _out."

"Are you kidding?" she giggled, spinning on her heel to point to one of the windows. "This is the nicest it's been all year!"

Jack rolled his eyes. "No way, it's too hot."

Emma scoffed and skipped passed him, hurrying back up the stairs (he assumed) to go change her clothes. Jack followed closely behind, lazily making his way up the steps with a cringe as the temperatures rose and the air seemed to _cling _to his dampened skin. He swung into his bedroom, fumbled for a loose, dark-blue tank top and black cargo shorts and headed into the bathroom for a quick shower.

Jack couldn't remember Burgess _ever _being this hot, and for once he _seriously _didn't like it.

* * *

Val was probably the _sweetest _woman Jack had ever met.

The moment he and Emma knocked on the door, she answered with a gentle smile that seemed to radiate hospitality. The first thing she offered was food and – of course – Jack took her up on that, scurrying into the kitchen with his sister for grilled cheese. Hiccup emerged from the upper floor shortly after they finished, a playful smile on his face and a bounce in each of his steps. Val picked up their plates and gingerly placed them in the sink, waving her hand as if to shoo the boys away. She warned them not to go outside for very long today, as the heat might make them sick so the boys nodded to her and smiled at each other. Emma sat in the kitchen with Val, the two of them chatting away idly as the two boys hurried upstairs and into Hiccup's room. Jack made a point to close the door, and they hopped around his room excitedly.

Within a matter of moments, they weren't in a little green room covered in posters anymore; the walls twisted and shifted into fields of green littered with nefarious villains and fearsome creatures; the carpeted floor tickled the soles of their feet like lush, green grass; they ventured as the brave Dragon Conqueror and the all-powerful Ice Wizard. The heat _scorched _their skin despite the window being open, and for a while they pretended to be venturing through the mysterious Death Valley; when a cool, _sweet _breeze rolled by, Jack took credit and Hiccup simply rolled his eyes in disbelief.

It didn't particularly take long for the two boys to tire out; the heat clung to their skin thickly and weighed them down, sweat forming on junctions of their bodies. When the heat became unbearably, Hiccup flicked on a small fan he'd fetched from the hallway and they sat in front of it, letting their voices bounce and ring around the spinning blades to form an _amusingly _robotic echo. Jack cracked a comment about Hiccup being a dork, and the boy swatted at him, a snigger beneath his slap. They laid back on the floor for a while, hair messily laid across the carpet. They stared up at the seemingly endless white swirls painted on the ceiling and awkward dark patches where the younger brunette had painted glow-in-the-dark stars.

Hiccup had tilted the fan to hit the two of them, a cool breeze blowing their hair back and ruffling the hem of their shirts around their necks. Jack peeked at Hiccup's alarm-clock on the nightstand, and noticed the faint red glow of 4:42pm across the digital screen. It hadn't really crossed his mind that they'd been playing so long; with Hiccup every minute passed effortlessly, almost invisibly. Time had no real meaning to him when he was around the younger boy. They had a lot of fun together, and his focus never wavered from the tasks at hand. Each adventure transported them somewhere new and exciting every time; it didn't matter what happened around them as long as they were having fun. Maybe it was stupid, but he _liked _playing with Hiccup.

He didn't like, however, the silence that settled itself like a barrier between them, twisting and bending every thought in Jack's head. Though much to his delight, Hiccup was the first to break the silence. He turned to his friend with the slightest of smiles and quietly said, "Oh, right. My parents are taking me to Vermont tomorrow."

Jack peeked over at him and pursed his lips. "Huh? What for?"

"It's a day-trip," the younger responded. "Mom got a new camera and she wants to take pictures of the springtime up there. Dad says New England's really pretty."

The older groaned, throwing his head back dramatically. He shifted his position so his back was straightened as he sat up. "Aw man. You're _ditching _me tomorrow?"

Hiccup followed, bowing his head apologetically. "Sorry, Jack."

Jack looked over at his friend and noted the tenser expression on his friend's face; his eyebrows weaved upward and his smile dimmed a bit, freckled cheeks a bit flushed (he assumed from the heat; _god _it was dreadful), and green eyes lowered to the floor. He snorted. He _actually _looked sorry, the little dork. The older crossed his arms playfully, sighing loudly as if to grab his best friend's attention.

"Hm…" he tapped his lips with his index finger, thinking for a moment. "Eh… I _guess _it's okay."

Hiccup smiled wider again, and Jack felt a little twinge of triumph leap in his belly. He continued on his faux-mad façade and poked the boy in his pudgy little nose, choking back a snigger when his best friend yelped in surprise. "But we're hanging out the _second _you get back, you got that, squirt?"

"Got it." The younger chuckled, his fingers curling together on his lap.

Was it _weird _that Jack liked his smile? Cause _dang_, he could tease him and shove him around and get as much amusement out of him as possible, but it wasn't until he smiled that Jack felt the _greatest. _It was like unlocking a new character in his video games, or _finally _conquering a dungeon and wasting the bosses in the Legend of Zelda. Hiccup's smile was goofy and crooked, sort of stupid to look at but for some reason he liked it; he liked that joyful side of his friend and the dorky little snort that came out of his nose when he thought something was _really _funny.

Jack shook off his thoughts and Hiccup tugged his sleeve. They stood and hurried downstairs, meeting up with Val and Emma in living room; they were apparently in the middle of a game of Uno, so Val handed each of them a few cards and they all played together. Emma threw down a Wild Card at one point, and Jack was _so freaking mad _he ended up yelling. The two of them spent what felt like hours hollering wildly about how Emma cheated and Jack was a lying goofball. Val played mediator, of course, and the two of them hugged it out. Hiccup simply laughed through the entire ordeal, nearly choking on his glass of orange soda when Jack had to step out of the room in irritation when it was _Val _who threw down the Wild Card.

Maybe it was strange, but Jack liked being here with the three of them. Val held the tenderness of a mother yet the vigor and gaming spirit of a father; she hollered and cheered amongst their many rounds of Uno and The Game of Life just as loudly as Jack did, if not _louder. _It was odd. The most _peculiar _warmth settled itself in Jack's belly, full of comfort and ease like when he, North, and Emma had a game night of their own; a feeling of belonging, perhaps, of family and unity heartily making itself known. It was confusing, yet somehow overwhelmingly pleasing.

And as his thoughts unwound into simplicity, Jack felt at home.

* * *

North joined them for dinner that night, and the house _roared _with laughter and cheer.

Jubilance made its melody known in the hearty merriment of the household, ricocheting wall-to-wall as time progressed. Jack and Hiccup got to eat in the living room with Mr. Haddock while North, Emma, and Val sat at the kitchen table. They sniggered and joked around about petty life complaints, and Hiccup's cheeks lit a bright shade of irate red when his father teased him for being "as thin as a fishbone". Jack took the opportunity to chime in his two-cents, earning an indignant protest from his friend and a punch in the arm.

The night forge onward, and when the clock hit 9:47pm, North and the kids shoved off. They bid a goodbye on the front porch, and Hiccup rushed forward to give Jack a tight hug. The older boy was initially confused, stumbling back a bit at the impact but quickly returning the hug when his mind finally registered what was going on. He let the tension in his shoulders ease and squeezed back, smiling when he pulled back and skipped back inside with his parents.

Before Val shut the door, Hiccup yelled back, "I'll see you later, Jack!"

And Jack peeked back at him and smiled with a lazy wave. It was an exciting night and as they walked back, Jack cursed the nearly _unbearable _heat floating about the air.

He dreamt of rain that night, or perhaps he subconsciously desired reprieve from this _terrible _heat-wave. He smiled unconsciously at the hazy images of a sandy shore somehow untouched by the pouring rain and the symphony of laughter echoing through the air. Though, he wasn't entirely sure what he was doing, or whose laugh it was that echoed beside him, but something inside him didn't care.

For the first night in the last few days, Jack dreamt sweetly.

* * *

**Tuesday**

* * *

Morning came and the heat hadn't eased.

Jack rolled out of bed the same as yesterday, hair messily clinging to his forehead and sheets _literally _thrown to the other side of the room. His eyes drooped and sweat formed on his scalp and he groaned, shaking his head a bit before he placed his feet on the floor and took a wobbly step towards the door. He clumsily fumbled down the hall to Emma's room, peeking in like the morning before and confusedly tilting his head when his sister wasn't there. Listening closely, he could hear the clatter of plates and echo of mindless chatter below him; he put two-and-two together and loped down the stairs, swinging the corner into the kitchen like he usually did with a tired smile.

A yawn drowning out his greeting, Jack managed to get out, "Mornin' North."

"Good morning, little one!" his adoptive father cheered from the kitchen table. He sat across from Emma, who was hurrying to finish her bowl of lucky charms as Jack fixed himself his own bowl of cereal and plopped himself in a chair. North sipped his glass of milk and smiled. "We'll be taking care of Toothless for the day while the neighbors are away."

Jack nodded, remembering his best friend mentioning his trip with his family to Vermont for the day. "What time do you think they'll be back?"

"Is hard to say," the older man folded his hands over the table. "It is very long drive to New England, so I don't expect them to be back until tomorrow morning."

The young boy pouted, furrowing his eyebrows in disappointment at the notion of his friend not returning soon. He huffed, his bangs messily blowing out of his face upon doing so. "Man… guess it's just you and me today, Emma."

Emma smiled, and Jack felt himself return the gesture. She drank up the remaining milk in her bowl and gingerly placed it in the sink, wincing slightly at the clattering noise that followed. "I'm gonna go get changed," she announced, skipping out of the kitchen and hurrying up the stairs. From above, she called down, "We're playing hopscotch today, okay Jack?"

And Jack simply nodded, chuckling to himself as he called back "Of course!"

Tuesday afternoon was another hot one, where the spring heat wave sizzled the asphalt of their driveway and drew hazy waves along the horizons of the road; Jack could _see _it wiggling and rising off the blacktop. The sun shined down, bright rays weaving warm patterns in the air as they hopped around in the grass, bare-footed as laughter rang through the air. North had cut across the yards and let Toothless run around with them as he poured food into his bowl and refilled his water dish. The little puff of black fur scampered around excitedly, sniffing everything he could manage until the heat weighed him down and he hurried beneath the shade of the Haddock's deck awning.

They played tag for a while, absently ignoring the realization that Hiccup was gone and chatting idly; Emma cheered and cart-wheeled around in the grass as Jack hopped around the hot pavement of the sidewalk. Every once in a while, a _cool _breeze rolled by and reprieved the heat from his cheeks. He sighed contently with every brush of air, the sweat collecting on his forehead as he and Emma hurried beneath a tree. The umbrage shaded them from the sun's rays, carefully obscuring certain features on their faces. It was an average day, overall, with Emma and Jack scurrying around the yard in search of shade and imaginary treasure. And Toothless followed their random trails every once in a while, yipping and growling when Jack turned to pet his head. Emma giggled, extending her hand before carefully stroking the fur behind his ear.

The sun crept further down the blush sky until it barely kissed the horizon, half of its canvas darkening with the threat of night's arrival. North called them in for dinner and the three of them chowed down on spaghetti (for about the third time in the last few days, but Jack wasn't entirely opposed) until they hopped in the car and he drove them down the road from ice cream. Emma constantly yelled at Jack for sneaking bites of her bubblegum ice cream while he chortled and mocked her weak little whines. He pretty much _inhaled _his own vanilla-caramel cone and hurried back into their house with a smile.

He stayed up that night, mostly hyper from all the sugar he'd inhaled and excited for his friend to come back so he could tell him about his trip. Jack bounced around his room, switching on the radio from his alarm clock to let music echo through the air. He jumped on his bed to some random trash-pop song, eyes wandering around until they met the window and noted the darkness from Hiccup's window. He frowned. He wanted Hiccup to come back as soon as possible.

By 10:56 Jack couldn't wait anymore. He climbed onto the roof and sat a few centimeters from the edge, letting his bare feet and thin legs dangle off the side facing the front yard. He peeked through his neighbor's window, noting the little puff of black and squinted green eyes curled up on the neatly-folded brown-plaid duvet on the bed. Jack sniggered. Toothless peeked up at him and wagged his tail, yipping quietly when the young boy stuck out his tongue at him.

He laid back, his legs dangling off the edge as his eyes wandered the star-kissed canvas of the night sky. The Man in the Moon hid beneath a few dark clouds, his light extended into a crescent, knowing smile that echoed intention and shined down almost _eerily _above Jack. He ignored it and turned his attention – once more – to Hiccup's driveway, but there was no car. He groaned internally and let his head roll back so he could look up at the sky once more.

Where was Hiccup?

* * *

**Wednesday**

* * *

Jack woke up on the rooftop that morning, curled into a ball close to the thin veil of shade coming off the wall.

He sat up, scratching the back of his head tiredly as his eyes _burned _to adjust to the sudden burst of sunlight. Looking up, the sky was darkened and obscured by thin, dark storm clouds that rumbled in the distance; the _slightest _of sun rays peeked through the cracks between clouds shyly. Jack stumbled between the sweet allure of unconsciousness and the reality wrapping itself around him. He glanced at Hiccup's driveway curiously – remembering his night-long task – and felt a scowl work its way across his face.

There was no car in the driveway and no lights on in the house next door. Hiccup wasn't home yet.

He crawled back through the window and slid into his navy blue room with a huff, noting the tiny droplets of rain hitting the back of his calf as he did so. He tugged a loose, plain white t-shirt from his dresser and a pair of blue jeans, dangling them over his arm as he strided into the hallway, dragging his feet with each step. He let them carry him wherever, finding himself inching his way toward the bathroom for a quick shower (_man _it was hot last night). When he was finished, he slid into his clothes and hauled himself down the stairs, swinging into the kitchen drearily to where his family was sitting. He bid his usual good morning to the two of them and sank into a chair, his back sliding along it as North and Emma chatted about their weeks.

Jack sighed, shivering slightly when a droplet of water fell from his hair and slid along his spine. He sat quietly, twiddling his thumbs until North caught the bummed-out look on his face and asked, "Something bothers you, Jack?"

"Er…" the young boy stumbled for a way of admitting he missed his friend without sound like a wuss. "I was just wondering where Hiccup is. I mean, you said he'd be back today but I didn't see him this morning."

Emma nodded, affirming his statement as she turned to North with a curious expression. "Yeah, is Henrik coming back soon?"

"I have heard nothing from Sven," North admitted, shrugging with regret. "But perhaps they will be back later."

The two kids frowned, expressions shifting with an audible "Aw…" Their adoptive father chuckled, standing to place his empty glass in the sink carefully before turning to them with a wide, cheerful smile. "Do no fret, little ones!" he laughed, placing his hands on each of their heads and ruffling their hair. "Tonight we have family game night, take your mind off things, yes?"

Emma beamed from ear to ear. She sat up, raising her hand up high. "Oh! Oh! Can I pick the games this time?"

"Oh come _on,_" Jack whined. "You picked last time!"

His sister stuck out her tongue teasingly. "I also_ won_ last time~ Winner's choice!"

"Aw no _fair!"_

"Is too!"

"Is _not!" _

"Settle down, little ones! There is no need for fighting!" North roared with laughter, standing between the two of them as leverage. He kneeled so he could look them in the eyes, smile wide and jolly as usual. "I tell you what; you both get to pick games, one each, yes?"

Jack and Emma nodded happily at the compromise. North pressed a light kiss to the tops of their heads and stepped out of the room. Emma carefully placed her clean dish in the sink and Jack skipped into the living room to watch cartoons. While he fumbled for to remember where the remote was, North called back to them, "If the Haddocks are not back by noon, we go to feed Toothless."

He marched up the stairs, and Jack listened to the rain come down a little faster while Emma watched one of her shows.

They ended up picking up Toothless and bringing him over so he wouldn't be stuck alone during the thunderstorm. Jack watched out the window every once in a while, frowning to himself when Mr. Haddock's car wasn't pulled into the driveway and the lights were still off. It seemed like Toothless had the same idea; when he finished eating him food, he curled up in a little ball by the window in the den looking out toward Hiccup's house and fell asleep. Like Jack, he poked his head up at the slightest sounds in the hopes it'd be his master returning. But he didn't.

As night came (or at least the _clock _said 7:08pm; in truth, the entire _day _felt like 24 hours of nighttime) North called the two of them into the den. Jack carried in a couple decks of cards while Emma skipped in with a Sorry! game board. They poured small bowls of chips and snacks and plopped themselves on the couches, shifting them a bit so they were closer to the coffee table. After an intense game of Rock-Paper-Scissors, Emma managed to win and they set up the Sorry! Board; Jack – like always – scrambled for the blue pieces while North snagged red and Emma stuck with yellow.

Toothless had crawled over at one point, stretching and yawning sluggishly before hopping onto the couch and curling up next to Emma (stepping on Jack in the process, of _course_). Their game went on for a while, the house _roaring _with hollers and yells as North and Emma battled for the lead and Jack pouted as he fell behind. He made a comeback later on, though, and for a while he thought he was winning until Emma came in for the kill and managed to win the entire game. North and Jack naturally complained and Emma puffed her chest out in triumph, commenting about how she was the "queen of the house". Their adoptive father shot Jack a quick look and they toppled her over, teaming up to tickle her into submission. Emma wiggled and giggled, thrashing around and yelling about how it wasn't fair it was 2 against 1.

The phone rang, and everyone stopped dead in their tracks.

Emma managed to escape (after _much _kicking and squirming) and hopped across the room to answer the wall-phone. She pulled the receiver to her ear and managed out an, "Emma speaking!" as she fumbled to catch her breath. North and Jack cleared the Sorry! Board from the table as she stood quietly for a moment.

"Oh, alright." She responded sheepishly, turning to her family with a curious smile. "Dad, it's Mr. Haddock. He wants to talk to you."

The mention of his friend's father snagged Jack's attention; as Emma hopped back over to help him clean up some of the loose pieces and deal out cards, he watched North on the phone from the corners of the his eyes. North chuckled at – what Jack assumed was – Sven's greeting, "Sven! Long time no see, eh? How do you do?"

From the silence that followed and from North's falling smile, Jack assumed the answer was somewhere along the lines of "Not well". The pause that followed North's cheer was long, passing with every tick of the clock as moments but _dragging _like hours. Emma and Jack sat on the couch patiently, heads turned to look back at their adoptive father with curious expressions. There was a moment when North had mumbled something in Russian, and while Jack had _no idea _what it meant, he got the impression it wasn't good by the way North covered his mouth and shut his eyes, his grip on the phone tightening slightly.

And for a minute, Jack was silently panicking. But he couldn't determine why.

"North?" he called over, eyes blinking quickly for a minute. "Is everything okay?"

North's eyes shot open and his stance returned to normal, almost as if he'd forgotten Jack and Emma were even there. He sighed for a moment, mumbling into the phone before covering the end with his hand and calling over, "Jack, take Emma upstairs and get ready for bed."

"_Huh?_" Jack huffed, eyes darting to the clock quickly. "But it's only 8:00, can't we stay up for a little longer and – "

"_JACK._"

His spine stiffened at the sudden change in North's tone. There was something urgent in it, and he was dying to know _why _but he couldn't bring himself to ask out of fear for the answer it'd result in. He sat back and let Emma climb onto his back; standing with a bit of trouble (she was getting bigger, _yeesh!_) he made his way to the stairs. Toothless must have felt the couch cushions shift, because he woke up and shot up the staircase before them as if to scope out the scene. Jack stopped in the archway to looked over at his adoptive father, voice a bit shaky. "N-Night, North."

Emma giggled behind him, waving a little. "Night, Dad!"

North didn't even look over. His expression maintained the same eeriness about it that it had before and Jack could hear his little snap in the back of his mind as if it'd just happened.

North wasn't a man to yell. North could get angry all he wanted, but he was _never _a man who'd just burst into a scream match; with every antic, he calmly explained to Jack just _why _he was upset and _why _he needed to knock off whatever he was doing. His lectures were _never _loud, and his punishments never too extreme; he had this marvelous habit of letting Jack decide how severe his actions were and letting _him _decide his own punishment. But that tone of voice was _never _good. He'd only heard it twice in his life.

The first being back at the beginning of second grade, before Hiccup had even came into town. Jack and Emma were playing in the road and a car zoomed down, nearly hitting them. North saw from the window and – in that foreboding voice he'd heard but moments ago – _demanded _they come inside. Jack was scolded a bit viciously for nearly getting them killed, and you'd better _believe _he never played in the road again.

The second was a _very _long time ago, when they'd first come to the house and he nearly knocked over a photo of a strange woman mounted on the wall with his playground ball. North had used that voice to reprimand him for it, explaining to him that he could never understand how important it was. Jack never played ball in the house again.

And now he was curious as every piece of the puzzle messily compiled into a hazy, incomplete image. Hiccup was gone and something was wrong, that much was clear, but _what _had happened was nothing but a curious blur in the back of his mind, as if North was _trying _to keep them in the dark that night without knowing what was going on himself. Jack dropped Emma off into her room and tucked her in, placing a light kiss to her forehead as he flicked on her nightlight and switched off the lights. He closed her door with care and lingered around the top step of the stairs for a while, holding his breath as he (and he felt bad for admitting he was) eavesdropped on North.

He only gained fragments from his endeavor, muffled and exaggerated statements that – when he added them to his clumsy little puzzle – didn't fit _anywhere _at all.

"12 hours? … The poor boy… my god… – be alright? …I see."

Jack scrambled to adjust the scattered pieces but he couldn't quite figure out what he was looking at. Hiccup was gone, something was wrong, and apparently it'd be going on for 12 hours…? None of it made sense. As he tried to listen closer, he couldn't make out much. North's voice got quieter and for a split second, he could've _sworn _it sounded like the old man was on the verge of tears.

And as he crawled into his room quietly and stared out his window to his neighbor's dim-lit room, he sat on his bed beside Toothless. He let the little warrior sniff his fingers before scratching behind his ears, noting the lethargic way he was laying and staring at Hiccup's window too. Jack laid back and sighed, turning to the small dog with a frown.

"Don't worry, Toothless," he mumbled, sniggering to himself when his ears twitched upward as if he were _actually _listening. "Hiccup will be back soon." Jack let his eyes wander to the window again, noticing how the rain seemed to pour to the beating of his heart as the panic settling in the pit of his belly throbbed and settled. He rolled onto his side, watching it pour until he drifted into a deep, lucid dream.

He mumbled on the brink of unconsciousness, "I hope."

* * *

**Thursday**

* * *

Jack woke up with Toothless curled up to his side.

He didn't dream very much that night, his mind empty and clouded with the distant memory of panic. The lights across the way hadn't turned on and the pitter-patter of rain echoed outside his window melodically. Jack sighed, rolling a bit on his mattress until he remembered the little ball of fur snuggled close to his side. The young boy chuckled when he yawned, hastily scratching behind his ear before sliding his back down the duvet until his feet touched the floor. He tip-toed across the room and picked out a pair of khakis and a loose blue t-shirt from his dresser. Looking across the way, Hiccup's light was still flickered off and the driveway was empty. Jack sighed.

Jack grabbed a quick shower and peeked into Emma's room, noting her absence before hopping down the stairs (Toothless scurrying beside him clumsily) and swinging the corner into the kitchen. He stopped dead in his tracks when he noted that North was making waffles. Emma sat in the living room, flipping through TV channels until the batteries on the remote died when she hit Channel 5. The news announcer was going off about some car accident off I78, but North called them over before Jack could really turn his attention to it. Emma crawled across the floor and hit the power button, the screen flickering off with a loud buzz as they hurried into the kitchen.

"Morning, North."

The older man smiled back at him a bit weakly, the concern on his face stretched thickly. Emma hopped into a seat and smiled at him; he returned the gesture with a kiss to the top of her head. "Good morning, little ones." North replied, the cheer in his voice so forced it cut Jack like a knife. "Jack, sit down."

Jack raised an eyebrow, noting the serious tone in his adoptive father's voice. "Am I in trouble?"

"Not quite." North began, making a 'come on' gesture. Jack plopped himself down into the seat across from him and fiddled with the bottom hem of his shirt nervously. He had the _worst _feeling he knew what this was about and he couldn't quite distinguish if he was anticipating the incoming information or _dreading _it; though, judging by the serious expression on North's face he was leaning more towards the latter. The old man sighed, shutting his eyes for a moment as he thought of a decent way to word what he wanted to say.

"Henrik won't be coming home for a while."

* * *

**Author's Note: **And~ I'm sorry but I'm leaving you here. I have this entire arc planned out, though, so this'll update pretty soon! Thank you guys again, I love you all~


	10. Artist in the Ambulance

**Author's Note: **More apologizing on my part, we're _actually _dealing with what's happening now and I'm pretty much waiting for people to yell at me (hides). The title is another Thrice song I really like that seemed to fit the mood of the chapter. Generally as I'm writing this stuff up I try to get a good idea of where I'm placing everything. I ended up having to place Burgess basically where Youngstown is, so if anyone's familiar with Pennsylvania that's where shit's going down.

**Basic Overview: **Hiccup's missing and Jack isn't taking this well.

**Point of View: **3rd person: Jack

**Warnings: **Feels and it gets a little bit graphic towards the end. (Nothing gruesome though; that's probably next chapter)

**Age Reminder: **Jack is 12 (5th grade); Hiccup is 11 (5th grade); Emma is 9 (3rd grade)

* * *

**Chapter 10: Artist in the Ambulance**

**April 22****nd**** – Spring Break**

**Thursday**

* * *

"Henrik won't be coming home for a while."

Jack wasn't entirely sure _what _he was supposed to say to that or how to properly respond. He sort of just sat there, mouth opening and closing as he failed to form words. Every nerve in his body seemed to shake while at the same time, he couldn't move a _single _muscle. What did North mean? Of course Hiccup was coming home. He _said _he'd be back later, and he was just… taking a little more time than he had initially expected. He _said _they'd hang out when he got back. Jack fidgeted in his seat, fingers curling into a fist so tightly he could feel his messily-trimmed nails digging into the skin of his palm. Peeking beside him, Emma held a calmer expression, her features laced with a tranquil curiosity that was driving him insane. How could she be so composed?

She tilted her head a bit, her hair falling further down her back in doing so. "How long will he be gone?"

North had to think for a moment, his expression falling for a split second. "I am… not _entirely_ sure." He scratched the top of his head a bit, settling on an answer. "Perhaps a month or two."

And suddenly, Jack didn't feel like eating. He didn't feel like sitting there or listening to this but he couldn't quite bring himself to move. He wanted to hop into the living room and look out the window and see Hiccup's dorky little smile across the yard, or hear Mr. Haddock cursing when the lock on the front door jammed or it didn't open right away. But everything fell to deaf ears. He focused and focused but the only sound – family aside – he could really hear was the pitter-patter of rain against the windows. He poked at his waffle with his fork and let his eyes follow the inconsistent grain of the wooden table as the _worst _feeling pitted in his belly.

Two months without Hiccup was _dreadful _thought. It echoed a full sixty-or-so days without hearing him laugh or rendezvousing in the enemy's fortress with the mighty Dragon Conqueror. It'd be an empty house next door again, his room as vacant as it was the day the Haddocks had moved in. It was recesses on the swing set, rather than their favorite spots on the play-scape. It was going back to the way things had been before his best friend came along, and – despite how used to it he previously was – Jack couldn't bring himself to like the idea.

Silence settled itself comfortably in the room, until Emma's soft voice nudged it out gently. After taking a bite of her waffle, she asked quietly, "Is Henrik… okay?"

Jack almost didn't want to hear the answer. He glanced up at North, noting the sad smile on his face as he managed to get out, "He will be, little one," the old man returned his glare with a knowing one of his own, his eyes quickly returning to the young girl. He picked up her plate when she finished up her waffle and placed it in the sink, turning to her with a slight sigh. North made a small 'come here' gesture with his hand and Emma hopped over, eyelashes batting curiously. From the corner of Jack's eyes, he noticed the old man knelt down, placing a hand on her shoulder and smiling at her.

"When Henrik comes back, he might look a little… _different..._"

A quiver of panic ran along the base of Jack's spine. He found himself shifting in his seat to sit up properly as his vision blurred while his hearing heightened.

"…Perhaps a little quieter…"

Jack didn't know why he was panicking but a familiar rush of adrenaline sparked and fluttered alive in his stomach.

"…but he is still the same Henrik."

And what drove Jack mad was the way every word seemed to _ooze _the implication of _something _changing, though what remained obscured. It was as if his little puzzle was barely coming together and all North had done was hand him a bottle of glue; the madness of reassembling some mysterious, bigger picture was welling in the back of Jack's head but nothing came together. Pieces clung to a hastily cut piece of canvas in indistinguishable patterns he couldn't quite interpret.

Without really meaning to, he felt his lips form words. Jack stood, pushing his chair in lazily before asking, "What is _that _supposed to mean?"

North looked at him with wide, blue eyes that softened for a moment. He returned his attention to Emma and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Emma, why don't you go get dressed?"

"Alright!" Emma cheered, skipping through the living room hurriedly. Her footsteps were light with every step up the stairs until her room door clicked and North stood. He stepped toward Jack, every echo of his feet hitting the floor like a knife against a cutting board. The young boy looked up at him, eyebrows furrowed slightly and fists clenched to ease some of the _ridiculous _dread he felt creeping up on him. North placed a hand on his own forehead, rubbing the skin there for a moment before sighing. Neither of them really knew what to say or _where _to start.

North interjected silence's reign, tripping over his words clumsily as if he wasn't entirely sure of what he was saying at all.

"There was an… accident."

Jack was amazed how alike the impact of five short words was to the impact of someone's fist against his face. He stammered for a moment, fumbling to add North's statement to his train wreck of a puzzle. "I… a-a _what?" _He so _brilliantly _replied, his thoughts racing for a moment as he ran a hand through his hair quickly in the hopes it might calm him down. No such luck. "W-what do you mean an _accident_, like messing up the sheets or knocking something over?"

North looked equally as pained as Jack was _sure _he did. "Their car got hit on the way back Tuesday night," his eyes lowered briefly. "And Henrik got _hurt._"

The first thing to pop into Jack's head was 'No, he _didn't'. _Hiccup was always a klutz, sure, and he was always dropping things and goofing around but… wait, what did that have to do with _anything_? Ugh. He couldn't think straight. The mantra _blaring _in his eardrums only consisted of the word _No_. Hiccup wasn't hurt. Hiccup was fine; he told Jack he'd be back as soon as possible, and that was that. There was _no way. _Jack desperately fumbled for an alternative in his jumbled brain and stuttered, "So… so what, he-he scraped his knee bad or something?"

North shook his head calmly, and for a moment Jack couldn't breathe.

"He's been in the hospital for the last few days and it's serious."

Jack felt his heart _completely _stop and skip about five beats. (Impossible, but _man _did he feel it.) His thoughts stopped and stilled and almost every _ugly _piece of the puzzle fit together (a few still missing, but he didn't want to focus on them now) and unfurled into the worst possible scenario. Jack fumbled for _something _to say, _some _way to respond but unspoken words built and clumped in his throat, drowning out any hopes for a proper response. "Serious _how?_" he finally managed, feeling every beat of his heart _slam _into his chest and hearing every rush of blood through his veins. "What… what happened to him?"

North didn't speak. He lowered his eyes and placed a hand on Jack's shoulder. "We can visit him tomorrow morning."

"What_ happened?" _Jack repeated, his voice gaining a bit more volume as a twinge of annoyance gnawed at his brain. Why was North being so secretive? Why could he just _tell _him what was happening? His adoptive father was keeping secrets and if there was anything Jack _hated, _it was being kept in the dark intentionally. This was his _best friend _they were talking about. He had a _right _to know what happened, but North was brushing it off like it was nothing. Jack grimaced. He hated the way he was dodging the obvious question, as if Jack had handed him the puzzle to complete and all he did was stare at it motionlessly and pick out random pieces.

"Tomorrow morning, Jack," he sighed, standing. "We will go see him together. Alright?"

Jack had never felt like screaming more than he did when North left him on that note and silently walked away.

* * *

The day dragged on.

It _finally _stopped raining sometime around 4 in the afternoon, but the mugginess about the air was _dreadful. _Emma hurried Jack outside so they could play hopscotch in the driveway, and the second they swung open the door and stepped it felt like someone had smacked Jack in the face with a wet paper towel. _God _it was terrible. Hot and wet, the _worst _combination in Jack's opinion (his disdain mostly centering on the heat) and the clouds refused to part and shed a little sunlight on Burgess. The two of them ended up playing inside and watching Tarzan for like, the _millionth _time. Emma fell asleep halfway through while Jack sluggishly slid down the back of the couch and limply lay across the cushions. Toothless hopped up and curled into his sister's side, yawning quietly.

His mind was fresh with the thought of Hiccup's absence, echoing every little fact he had gained in his endeavors in the corners of his mind. He lazily threw the pieces into a little pile on the metaphorical surface of his mind and crossed his arms, huffing when nothing really came together. Hiccup was in the hospital. North mentioned an accident. What the _heck _did that even mean? An _accident? _Why was in the hospital? The only things that came to mind when he thought of hospitals was the time Emma was younger and she got _really _sick. He remembered her staying overnight while the doctors fixed her up and the funky little machine they monitored her heartbeat with. The nurses were nice but this one old lady kept pinching his cheeks (_man _what a pet peeve) and commenting on how 'absolutely adorable' he was.

Emma didn't stay too long, though. So in the end, Jack really had no idea what to expect. It drove him nuts, really, playing this little guessing-game with North. Was Hiccup _sick? _What could have beenbad enough that he'd need to stay in the hospital for an _entire _two months? Did he catch pneumonia? Break an arm? Twist his ankle really bad? What the _heck _was going on?

Jack slumped on the couch and found his eyelids growing heavier. His eyes fluttered shut and his head drooped down, is bangs messily scattering across his forehead and some pieces brushing into his eyes. The call of sleep grew closer and louder with each passing second, the thought of Hiccup being gone still echoing freshly in his mind.

And as he fell asleep – Toothless crawling over and sitting on his chest with a slight yip – all he could find himself thinking was, "I hope Hiccup's okay."

His dreams consisted of obscured, hazy images of distant places and familiar faces. He could recognize the slurred sound of his sister's laughter and a woman's voice calling out his name, the crash of waves and the buzz of cars zooming past them in the distance. There was a moment of panic and a scream before his dream obscured and shifted to a new, (somehow) _terrifyingly _familiar scene. He saw the back of what he thought to be an ambulance, metal walls covered in little white boxes and bright red crosses. Machines buzzed and for a minute he wasn't breathing as air _rushed _into his lungs, heart pounding with intense thumps against his ribs and cool, torturous droplets of water raced down his cheeks, and Jack couldn't think or move or breathe and then…

Then he woke up.

His body shook and trembled, and when he awoke he was curled into a ball, knees close to his chest and fingers splayed across the cushion as if he were grasping it. The slight tingle in his fingers gave him the impression he _was _tugging on it. He sat up with a groan, letting his limbs pop and crack with every movement. Looking around, Toothless glared at him from across the couch (when had he moved, Jack wasn't entirely sure) and Emma was kneeling in front of the TV to pop a different tape into the VHS player. She peeked back at Jack with a slight smile and giggled, "Well good morning, sleeping beauty!"

Jack managed to roll his eyes, _forcing _his limbs to stop their incessant shaking and his thoughts to slow from their rapid, erratic pace. He focused himself on Emma and how happy she seemed, and after a while he could finally feel himself started to relax. "Hey."

"You mind if we watch Snow White?" she asked, the tape already pushed into the player. Jack shrugged, nodding in place of his absent words. Emma smiled. "Thank you!"

She hopped onto the couch and Toothless growled a bit, _clearly _not amused when the cushions shook him. She scratched behind his ears and the little puff ball melted into her touch. He curled into her side and shut his eyes. Jack smiled, scooting over to sit closer to his sister. The movie started and he let the tension in his shoulders ease, Emma resting her head on one for a while as the film progressed. Her expression was so calm and collected, a polar opposite to the fear Jack was _sure _had taken his own features. She didn't know that things were wrong, he figured, and he truly thought for a minute that ignorance could be bliss. So Jack _really _tried to pretend things were as fine as Emma thought they were. He focused on Snow White whistling while she worked, and tried to force back every concern that ate away at him.

Jack tried. He _really_ tried but nothing really worked.

* * *

Nighttime came and Jack couldn't sleep.

Maybe it was that nap he'd taken hindering his ability to sleep, or maybe it was the surplus of concern raking through his brain as he lay across the mattress, eyes focused on Hiccup's empty window. He wanted to pretend the lights had flickered on and his best friend had come skipping through the door, with his goofy little smile and his stupid stuffed dragon in his arms. He wanted to pretend Hiccup looked over and noticed him and waved like he usually did sometimes, his fingers splayed and freckled and awkwardly half-curled with every lazy movement. He wanted to pretend Mr. Haddock's car was in the driveway and Val was somewhere in the house doing Lord knows what.

But the dark seemed to draw his sorrow across the canvas of the neighboring house.

Hiccup's room was nothing but a black, abandoned abyss that held nothing but clutter and useless furniture; his crudely stitched dragon was still perched on the headboard of his bed, its little button eyes barely visible in the limited light. It echoed an absent melody of mindless chatter and Hiccup's laugh, replacing it with a soundless tune of no significance. Jack simply sighed, rolling over on his bed so his face buried into his pillow and his arms limply flopped onto their sides. His mattress had a tendency of being _marvelously _comfortable at night, but tonight he found it about as comfortable as a box full of nails.

His blue eyes narrowed, eyelashes fluttering against the pillow cover in the process. He forced them shut for a moment, breathing rather dramatically as he attempted to force himself asleep. When his endeavors showed no reward, the young boy groaned and kicked his sheets off his body. They fell to the floor with a dainty little thump and Jack curled his arms beneath his pillow, pulling it closer to his face.

Jack didn't _feel _like sleeping. He couldn't get the current situation out of his head and it bothered him to no end.

Sometime around midnight, he'd finally had enough and wiggled off his bed, tip-toeing over to his window and tugging it open. He stepped onto the roof top and sat Indian-style, turning his head so his peripherals just _barely _allowed Hiccup's room to enter his field of vision. Above him, the Man in the Moon peered down at him, his knowing little smile thickened and fallen apologetically. Jack looked up at him with a frown.

Manny was mocking him, he swore it.

* * *

**Friday**

* * *

Friday morning brought even _more _horrendous heat, but for once Jack didn't really mind.

The heat clung to his skin desperately, trying to drag him back into lethargy as he scrambled around his room to get ready. All he could think of was seeing Hiccup later; he thought about finally figuring out what had happened, and _finally _getting to see his best friend after days of waiting and dreadful suspense. Glancing at the clock, he noted the digital red 11:09am across the screen and rushed into the shower. He hastily washed himself, drying off a bit lazily before slipping into his clothes and hurrying down the hallway. Of course, the little dork ended up forgetting his feet were still wet and he _slid _on his heel, slamming into the farthest wall. He groaned, rubbing the back of his head as he crawled into Emma's room.

She was already dressed and seemingly ready to leave, her hair tugged back into a messy ponytail; she wore a white tank top with seams that frilled and a pair of dark brown shorts. Emma smiled at her big brother from her perch on the bed. "Morning Jack!"

"Morning, Emma," he forced a smile back, inching over on his knees to kiss her on the forehead. "Ready to go see Hiccup?"

Emma nodded. "Yeah! Dad said the car ride's gonna be really long, though."

Jack raised an eyebrow. The hospital wasn't _too _far from their house, was it? "Did he say _where_ it is we're going?"

"I don't think so," she kicked her feet off the side and hopped off the mattress. "He just told me it'd take an hour or two to get there, so I'm bringing my book!"

Jack sniggered. "Lame… I'm gonna sleep on the way there."

"_Huh?_" Emma raised an eyebrow of her own and crossed her arms. "You _just _woke up, dummy."

"Yeah, and I'm _still_ tired," Jack yawned for emphasis and his sister's glare softened. "I need all the sleep I can get!"

"Did you sleep good last night?"

He paused. "Not really."

"…is it 'cause you're worried about Henrik?"

Jack sort of stumbled for a moment. He opened his mouth to say No but Emma's expression was so sincere he couldn't find it within him to lie. He huffed. "Yeah. Really worried."

"Well cut it out," she scolded, bopping him in the nose with the middle of her fingers. "Cause I'm _sure _he's okay! Henrik's really strong, so quit being so blue or you'll jinx it!"

The older boy sniggered, caught somewhere between laughing and wanting to cry. Emma had no idea, but that innocence about her voice was so sweet it lifted his spirits tremendously. "Well if you're _sure _how can I argue with that?" He pressed another light kiss to her forehead and she grabbed her book off the nightstand and they started out of the room, hopping down the stairs eagerly and swinging the corner into the living room. North was seated on the couch across from the TV, fiddling with a Rubik's cube. He glanced upward at them and placed it on the table, standing to greet the two of them.

"Good morning, little ones!"

Emma ran to hug him while Jack nodded back without a word.

North took a deep breath and gestured towards the door. "You are ready to go, then?"

Emma nodded. "Are we going out for breakfast?"

"Breakfast?" he chuckled. "It is nearly noon! We will get something on way, alright?"

On that note, Emma smiled and hurried out the front door, skipping across the yard to the red mini-van in the driveway. North was the next to start for the door, and as Jack followed he stopped in the doorway. He turned to Jack was a melancholic smile, placed a kiss on the top of his head and looked him in the eyes. "Do not worry," he muttered, "I know this might be hard, but stay strong."

The young boy nodded back at him and they stepped outside, North locking the door behind them as they made their way across the yard. He ducked his head and took a seat next to Emma in the back, buckling his seatbelt with a soft click and slouching back, his head meeting the space between the headrest and top of the seat. The air was heavy, thick with heat that worsened as North carefully shut the car doors. Jack replayed his enigmatic message in his head, deciphering its clumsy little code as they pulled out of the driveway and started down the street.

And something in the back of his mind told him he was talking about Emma, and how she probably didn't understand what was going on.

Now that he thought about it, Emma was young. Innocent. It was probable that North couldn't tell her what had happened (though Jack had a feeling he edited out a lot when he told him) out of the kindness in his heart or because she just _couldn't _understand. She was in the dark about a lot, really, and Jack wasn't sure if he hated himself for being too big of a wimp to tell her what's going on or if he was _grateful _she had no idea. He let his eyes narrow a bit at the thought.

He's been lying to Emma for most of her life, so why did it suddenly suck so much _now?_

* * *

Falling asleep didn't exactly pan out for Jack.

He couldn't fall asleep sitting up; it was awkward and uncomfortable, and if he leaned his head against the window, the car would go over a bump so he'd smack his temple against the glass. Even worse was he kept fidgeting, not entirely sure _where _his little bouts of energy kept coming from but cursing the source. His eyelids drooped so his vision blurred yet the pleasantry of sleep seemed to elude him. Jack mentally groaned. So much for catching some Z's…

He let his eyes wander out the window instead, taking in the Pennsylvania springtime blurring just outside into random blotches of green and dabs of yellow here and there. North had rolled the front windows down, letting the fresh air brush against Jack's face with a loud roar in his ears, blowing his hair wildly (and Emma's, which was sort of _hilarious _to look at) around his face. He could smell the blossoms of trees and the freshly bloomed flowers that lined the streets with every gust of wind that rolled by.

It was a decently long car-ride, its duration somewhere around two hours (or at least Jack thought so while he stared at the radio's time display). Jack stared out the window and let his vision focus on the various passing green exit signs. He noted the "Welcome to Bellefonte" sign as they got off an exit and thought for a minute. _Dang. _When Emma said they'd be driving far away she wasn't kidding. The ride dragged on as they wove through the back roads and Jack dreaded and anticipated their arrival at the hospital.

And when the car finally pulled into a spot in the parking garage, he felt his pulse rising.

He wasn't quite sure if it was panic that was making itself known in the back of his mind or the overwhelming excitement to see his friend after a couple of Hiccup-less days. They made their way out of the garage and across the street, Emma nervously clinging to Jack's arm the entire way. Every step closer to the glass hospital doors dragged his thoughts along with him; he shuffled forward lethargically, his muscles tight and his limbs swinging limply. Jack's thoughts pulsated to the rapid beat of his heart. He found his focus shifting to a mental mantra of "Hiccup _please _be okay" as they finally stepped inside.

The three were greeted with elegantly painted walls with wooden trims and insignificant photographs and awards. Flowers and potted faux-palms obscured the corners of each wall, forcing a casual ambience into the room. Jack rolled his eyes. All the couches and average-Joe furnishing in the world couldn't make this place feel like a home. As they reached a series of chairs and a little wooden desk, North motioned for Jack and Emma to wait. He pressed a light kiss to their foreheads and strided over to the front desk.

Emma plopped herself in a chair and kicked her feet back and forth as they dangled. "It's a really nice building," she observed, seemingly desperate for something to talk about. "Don't you think?"

"It's a _hospital_, Emma," Jack twiddled with his thumbs anxiously, his eyebrows furrowing. "Hospitals can't be nice."

She pouted. "Hey, what'd I say before about being blue?"

"I know, but – "

"Butts are for sitting, stupid head," Emma chided. She swung forward to stand as North returned to their sides. "Henrik is fine!" She spun on her heel, letting her hair messily twirl as she faced their adoptive father. A tranquil smile stretched across her lips. "Right, Dad?"

He glanced at Jack, who merely shrugged.

"Of course he is."

* * *

The hospital seemed to twist like a labyrinth.

Every tick in the elevator as floors passed yielded a new jagged corridor adorned with numbered portals, each with a different species of prisoner locked inside. When the elevator doors parted and allowed them a proper escape route, Jack stepped into what felt like a vast, white plane. The checkered, linoleum floors stretched into a series of thin, abysmal halls in two separate directions. North guided them through the east wing (stopping to ask a few passing nurses if they were going the right way) until Jack spotted a little dry-erase chart on the wall. He hurried forward and skimmed his eyes across its surface.

Hasty scribbles of numbers and names flooded his vision until – beside a large 300 – he noticed a series of scratches that resembled the name, "Haddock". Jack's heart did a flip in his chest. Looking around at the doors he noted the "287" beside him. Hiccup was close by.

He was the first to literally _bolt _down the hallway (ignoring North's Russians yells to slow down and come back), knees a little shaky with each step and eyes darting between walls. As he neared the end of the hall, he spotted it. The door to room 300 was slightly cracked open and a wave of relief slithered along the contours of his mind. Jack could barely move. Hiccup was in there, and never had the thought of seeing his best friend enthralled him so.

North and Emma finally caught up and the three of them carefully stepped into the room; North pushed open the door with a slight creak. The second they made their way in, Jack's eyes immediately turned to the bed along the left wall, the faint rhythm of Hiccup's heartbeat echoing perfunctorily through the IV machine. With every small detail he managed to pick up in his stupor, his attention finally reached the frail form laid across the bed beneath a series of thin sheets.

And Jack's heart dropped. He looked so… broken.

Hiccup reminded him of one of Emma's worn-out dolls tucked carefully out of sight. His hair was curled in awkward places, tangled and frizzed like frayed yarn rolled into a messy ball. The skin of his cheeks was flushed darkly, enough to cover the freckles on his face. Across his arms and cheeks were faded scrapes and taught, fresh scars that tugged across his nose faintly, and just _barely _kissed his bottom lip. The vibrant, emerald eyes Jack had come to know had dulled to a melancholic jade, the hue as lifeless and low in saturation as the dying grass beneath winter's first snow. The only word Jack could really think to describe the boy was… lifeless. Miserable. Forlorn.

That body on the bed could _not _be Hiccup… could it?

Wires clung to the skin of his right wrist, running down the frame of his bed and into the heart monitor. Various buttons covered the wall behind him, as well the monitor itself; mysterious icons flashed and beeped, each an enigma to their own right. Looking toward his legs, Jack noted the awkward divot of sheets around his left leg and the small tube running beneath the sheets close to it.

He shuddered. Jack _really _didn't wanna know what that was for.

And just beside him, Mr. Haddock had the most defeated expression plastered across his face. His eyes held a hue similar to Hiccup's (he never really notice that), dark and increasingly hazy as they lowered to the ground. His stance was casual, yet his arms crossed loosely while his shoulders slumped. All in all, the _entire_ scene was really strange for Jack. The only real detail that bothered him was Val's absence. If there was _anything _Jack knew about that woman, it was how much she loved her son; if something were to happen to Hiccup, Val would _definitely _be the first person to jump on it.

So… where the heck was she?

"Hey Henrik," Emma skipped to his side, taking care to step over the wires of the IV. She seemed unbothered by every _horrid _detail Jack kept picking out with every second; she carefully pulled up a little black chair and plopped into it. "How are you feeling?"

Hiccup weakly nodded at her. "I'm alright."

Jack shuddered. Even his _voice _wasn't right. North stepped forward and placed a hand over Hiccup's tiny one. "You are strong boy, Henrik." He chuckled lightly. "And you will be stronger soon."

He nodded again, this time quietly as his eyes lowered and darted to the left side of the bed quickly. Jack followed his glance. What the heck was he looking at? Across the room, Mr. Haddock looked up and North and the old man nodded; shortly after, they excused themselves from the room and stepped into the hallway (warning them to call a nurse if anything happened before doing so), leaving Emma, Jack, and Hiccup alone. A certain silence settled in the room as Jack fumbled for something, _anything _to say. But the words in his throat froze in their place and he found himself choking on them.

Could you really blame him, though? I mean… _jeez_, Hiccup looked so broken and fragile just laying them; his expression so melancholic it _hurt _Jack to look at it. Sadness wasn't a good look for him; it reminded him of the awkward kid who moved in next door and wouldn't talk to anyone; and the way he used to curl into himself every time he cracked a joke. It reminded Jack of how uncertain Hiccup seemed that very first day he moved in; how lost and confused he looked the day he walked into school; the look of sorrow on his face when he _truly _thought Toothless couldn't stay. It was a look he was starting to hate but he had no idea how to make it go away this time.

"Is Toothless okay?"

Jack praised whatever god decided to make Hiccup break the silence first. He stumbled with his words a bit, leaning against the wall and forcing a smile at him. Hiccup looked up at him with puppy-dog eyes. "Y-Yeah. He's eating fine but he just kinda lazes around lately." He chuckled. "Little guy really misses you."

Hiccup's gaze lowered. "I see."

Jack gulped. He wanted to talk with Hiccup like he usually did, _so bad, _but he couldn't think of what to say. He opened and closed his mouth a couple of times; failing to form words and when they finally came (in their most basic form of course) a knock at the door caught his attention. It opened more, allowing a thin, rather pretty young nurse to step inside the room. In her hands were a pair of scissors and a roll of medical tape; a gentle smile was on her face as she strided over toward the bed.

Jack raised an eyebrow. His second observation (the first being that she was _really _pretty) focused on the medical tape; when he first came in he hadn't noticed any tape on his best friend's person. He had scuffs and scratches and a _plethora _of scars but never anything tape-worthy. What the heck was _that _stuff for?

"Hey sweetie," she cheered, holding up the hand with medical tape in it. "It's about that time to change your bandages."

Hiccup's expression fell even _more. _Jack wasn't even sure how that was possible, but the look on his face teetered between mortification and complete and utter sorrow. "Alright," the boy mumbled, fidgeting a little. Jack followed his eyes as he glanced at the side, realizing he was averting them intentionally. He let his gaze move to the nurse who was making her way across the room, gingerly placing her supplies on a nearby tray-table as she wheeled it closer to the bed. She smiled at Hiccup, who refused to make eye contact for some _weird _reason Jack couldn't quite determine; his expression was tenser and ridden with fear, _far _exceeding shyness.

"Excuse me, sweetie," she mumbled, fiddling with the sheets that obscured Hiccup's legs. As she pulled it back, Hiccup flinched and Jack peeked over curiously. Time seemed to slow with every inch of his leg exposed until she tossed the sheets off of his lower body completely. Just like Jack expected, his right leg lay stiff against the mattress. There were _quite _a few scuffs and scars littering the skin, with a few gashes stitched together (the sight sort of frightened him, but he tried not to focus on them) with what he _thought _was a thick, black thread. But nausea crept up his throat and the familiar twinge of panic settled and festered in his mind when he glanced at the empty space beneath Hiccup's left knee.

The pieces of his crudely put-together puzzle aligned into a _horrid _conclusion that bubbled and brewed the nausea in his stomach. Wrapped around his leg (from the middle of his thigh and downward) were several layers of medical tape, some strands stained with a faint brown tint and some (mostly the ones toward the end of his leg) holding a bright, sickly crimson in uneven patches and splatters. Jack was so focused on the sight of blood and the look of terror of Hiccup's face that he hadn't even taken a moment to let his eyes wander downward more and register just what it was he was looking at.

Half of Hiccup's left leg was missing.

* * *

**Author's Note: **So… this is a _second _cliffhanger and admittedly I cut it here for length's sake. I actually hit my goal word and page-wise (I even overcame it, go team go) so… yeah. I'm sorry! I'm thinking this arc might end next chapter (there will be _plenty _of closure, trust me I have things planned; _lots _of things) or the chapter afterward. Augh I need to go write some fluff; the image I based this off of was a memory of my bro in the hospital (amputation aside) and I need some HiJack therapy! Thank you again you are all lovely~


	11. Everything's Alright

**Author's Note: **Feelings everywhere! Whee~ I'm sorry, guys; this arc will be over soon and we'll _finally _be able to hit the goofy stuff I have planned for High School/Middle school. I ended up having to chop this one in half again, since this one is _really _close to hitting 8,000 words and I don't want it to be too long.

**Basic Overview: **(More of an epigraph, really; song is "Everything's Alright" by Laura Shigahara) Until the stars all fall down, they empty from the sky. But I don't mind. If you're with me, then everything's alright

**Point of View: **3rd person: Jack

**Warnings: **Graphic in some places, more feels, and a pretty bad breakdown.

**Age Reminder: **Jack is 12 (5th grade); Hiccup is 11 (5th grade); Emma is 9 (3rd grade)

* * *

**Chapter 11: Everything's Alright**

**April 23****nd**** – Spring Break**

**Week One: Friday**

* * *

The nurse made her way out of the room and Jack had forgotten how to breathe for a while.

He had to turn away when she'd gently tugged off the bandages and – from the corner of his eyes – he could barely see a good portion of the stump but he quickly turned his attention elsewhere; from the small, miniscule glance he'd taken he could understand why Hiccup didn't want to look either. Beside him, Emma delicately covered her eyes with her hands and turned her head so Hiccup wouldn't notice. Jack kissed the top of her head softly. If it was this horrifying for him, he could only _imagine _how it was for his baby sister.

The nurse finished tugging a new set of tape layers over the stump and gave him a quick smile. "All done, sweets."

Hiccup just nodded at her. "Th-thank you."

"Do you need anything else?" she chirped, swinging past Jack to check the heart monitor. "Your painkillers working alright, need any water, or…?"

"No, I'm alright." Hiccup smiled weakly back and let his head fall, eyes moving to his leg as his lips uncurled and descended into a frown. Jack watched her swing around the bed again, tucking Hiccup's leg beneath the sheets with delicate hands before collecting the tape roll and scissors in her hands. Emma stepped out of her way carefully, hugging her older brother's side. "Thank you."

"Not a problem!" the nurse cheered before hurrying out the door. She called from the hallway, "I'll be back in an hour or so to check up on you. If you need anything before then, just hit the button on the right rail."

Jack let his eyes wander across the rail and spotted the orange button in question. The white silhouette of a person holding a little tray was on it. He turned his attention to Hiccup again, whose expression shifted from anxiety to a more tranquil sorrow. The broken boy fidgeted a little, his fingers idly curling into fists he pulled to his chest. Emma unwound herself from Jack's side and hopped into the chair again. "Sorry," he mumbled, eyes darting between the floor and Jack. "It's… not too pretty."

The older boy snorted. "H-Hey, that's nothing to say sorry about."

"I guess." Hiccup shrugged.

Emma thought for a moment, carefully contemplating what to say before saying it. "Does it hurt a lot?"

"S-Sometimes," he stuttered, fingers curiously twiddling. "If I don't take the painkillers every once in a while it really hurts."

Jack scoffed. "_Gross_, you gotta take a ton of pills?"

Hiccup shook his head. With his shaky right arm, he fumbled for a pair of handhelds lying across the sheets carefully and held it up. A bright red button sat on top of one, while the other was a shiny black. "The machine gives 'em to me, I think. The doctors told me if it hurts a little to hit the red one, and if it's _really _bad hit the black one."

Emma gaped, observing the buttons with wonder. "What's the difference?"

"Uh…" he stared at the IV machine curiously and shrugged with an awkward chuckle. "I dunno. The red one makes me kinda loopy and the black one makes me sleepy, if that's what you mean."

Jack sniggered, leaning against the wall more casually as he eased himself into the conversation. It was nice to hear Hiccup talking normally. "It's like they're feeding you loopy juice through a tube."

Hiccup snorted. "Kinda, yeah."

"At least it makes you feel better," Emma giggled, placing a small hand over Hiccup's larger one. "So we can play again soon, right?"

"Yeah," he smiled softly, his lips twitching crookedly. Jack's heartbeat eased from the initial shock of Hiccup's leg. It shook to a gentler rhythm, pounding comfortably while the three of them talked about nothing in particular and Hiccup laughed weakly. Mid-conversation, Sven and North finally stepped back into the room and stood beside the bed as well, joining into their mindless chatter. Mr. Haddock ended up not saying very much, and Jack noted the darker, _pinker _tint about the whites of his eyes. If he didn't know any better, he'd say the man had been crying.

Everything eased into a more relaxed atmosphere, their chat as casual as it usually was back at home. Emma went on and on about Toothless, and Hiccup just smiled at her when she mentioned how much the little dog had missed him. Jack even chimed in about how Toothless was starting to grow on him and the younger boy fell into a laughing fit as his friends started to bicker over which one of them Toothless liked more; Emma, of course, emerged victorious while Jack sunk into her seat in defeat. Setting and situation aside, Jack felt comfortable beside his best friend.

But Val's absence sort of haunted him.

It was _really _starting to bother him how no one in the room seemed to notice she was gone, and how whenever Emma brought her up into the conversation Mr. Haddock dodged the topic and Hiccup's smile wavered. It was yet _another _series of puzzle pieces missing from the image, and Jack found himself incredibly frustrated with how little he actually understood. Hiccup was hurt but in good hands, which eased Jack's anxious mind to a certain degree, but the curious buzz of Val's whereabouts still gnawed at the back of his mind. And he _hated _how things were starting to come together with each passing second. He _hated _the assumption that something had happened to her, and he _hated _the way no one wanted to explain what it was.

When North finally dismissed the three of them with a hearty "Time to go", Jack's initial instinct was to hug his friend. With the machine beside him, there was expectable difficulty, so – pushing back the twinge of embarrassment from doing so – Jack leaned over and pressed a hasty kiss to his forehead. Hiccup just sort of stared at him blankly (as did Emma, for that matter; _god _her face was priceless!) and as he turned to leave he could have _sworn _he caught the boy blushing from the corner of his eye. Then again, his face _already _had a reddish pigment. So he must have been imaging that detail.

As they descended to the lower floor, Emma shuffled closer in the elevator and leaned her head against Jack's shoulder. She shut her eyes and whined. "I'm tired… Jack, will you carry me?"

Jack snorted. "Are you _nuts_? You weigh a ton!"

"I do _not!_" she stomped her foot, eyebrows furrowing.

"You're too big for me to carry, stupid."

"_Please?_"

Jack glared at her, and her pleading eyes failed to waver. The older boy sighed and leaned forward, letting his sister hop onto his back with a squeak. He caught her carefully, hearing a few of his limbs pop as he straightened his back, and huffed. "If I drop you, it's gonna hurt _really _bad; I'm warning you now."

She nuzzled into the back of his neck and smiled.

"Then don't drop me, stupid."

* * *

The car ride home was just as long as the first.

Jack managed to talk North into letting him sit in the passenger's seat (a valiant feat, considering he was about an inch or two off being able to legally do so) while he gingerly strapped Emma into the backseat, the younger girl _completely _out cold. Her head lolled back onto the headrest, expression soft and content with the call of sleep despite her awkwardly sitting up. Jack snorted. She was admittedly adorable (though he'll _never _know how she can sleep so soundly sitting up), and he pressed a kiss to her forehead tenderly. He slammed the door as quietly as he could without waking her and climbed into the front seat. North followed his lead, and after a bit of situating they took off.

Sitting in the front seat was oddly thrilling; he felt large and in charge, despite being a co-pilot to his father in the driver's seat. Sunset birthed nightfall just outside the front window, and Jack could barely make out the outline of the moon creeping up the horizon. He slouched back in his seat and counted signs that zoomed by, each a bright, eye-grabbing shade of green with white text that slurred with momentum. His thoughts were slow and thick with the same curiosity he'd known in the hospital; where had Val been all that time?

He peeked at North, whose eyes were firmly locked on the road ahead and occasionally darted to the rear-view mirror and sides. Jack wondered just how much the older man knew, and why he and Mr. Haddock had stepped out that afternoon. He wondered where Val could have been, and why it was such a sensitive topic back in Hiccup's room. He wondered how much he was hiding from him intentionally, and Jack found himself irritated with North's unwillingness to simply tell him what was going on. Against his better judgment, he _really _wanted to ask.

Before he could get a word out, North interjected his thought stupor. "I am sorry I could not tell you about Henrik," he started, his expression blank. "I thought it would be best you found out on your own."

Jack gaped at him. What was _better _about _that? _"Might've been nice to know he's only got one leg now," he huffed, crossing his arms against his chest. The sting of irritation plagued his mind. "What happened, anyways? Where the heck were you and Mr. Haddock?"

North glanced at him briefly and then back at the road. "We had much to discuss."

"Like _what?" _

He thought for a moment, and Jack anticipated the rush of anger that would come from the impending lie. "I'm sure you understand that Henrik is going to need help when he is out of hospital; we wanted you to help him when he is better."

The tension in Jack's body eased slightly, and he found himself relaxing a little. It made sense, really. Hiccup probably wasn't going to be able to walk anymore, so Jack would probably have to help him out around school when he could. He let his eyebrows raise to their natural position. "Oh. How's he… uh… gonna get around, anyways?"

"They will give him prosthetic in two weeks."

Jack took a minute to register that. "Pros-what-ic?"

"It is fake leg so he can walk," North explained, glancing at him once more. "He needs to heal for a while before he can use it."

Another puzzle piece was added to the picture. Jack nodded, his worries relieving slightly. At least he wouldn't have to zoom around in a wheelchair for the rest of his life… He turned to his father with a raised eyebrow. "So like… a robot leg or something?"

North chuckled heartily. "To some degree, yes."

"Weird…" Jack mumbled, imagining Hiccup with a little cyborg-limb in his head and sniggered under his breath. "So what happened? Er… To his leg, I mean."

North sighed, wording himself _very _carefully and peeking in the rear-view mirror to make sure Emma was still asleep. When she was, he looked at Jack for a brief second and returned his attention to the road. "They had to cut part of it off."

His stomach twisted. They _cut off _Hiccup's leg? Jack yelled, "Why the _heck _would they do that?!"

"Shhh," North shushed him, glancing nervously at Emma's still-sleeping form. "Do not wake Emma. It is… _difficult _to explain."

Jack nodded, bowing his head apologetically.

"There was car-crash on way back from Vermont, Jack," he stated his words slow and deliberately slurred. Jack's hearing heightened as his curiosity peaked. "Another car hit driver's side and it flipped."

Jack gulped. The image in his head was _dreadful. _"And Hiccup was on that side?"

North nodded mournfully. "As was Val."

Another piece of the puzzle aligned itself, and the last was inching towards its place. Jack put two-and-two together and a lump caught in his throat. He stammered, "What about her? Is she alright?"

The silence that followed was enough of answer for Jack to reach a conclusion. His stomach twisted with utter disgust and horror and he felt his thoughts running wild with the idea that he'd never look out his window and see Val tucking Hiccup into bed at night; he'd never go over their house and hear her greet him with a smile when he walked through the door; he'd never smile while Val teased Hiccup about being a lady's man or tickle his sides and send him into a laughing fit. North wouldn't say a word, despite Jack's rather pathetic attempts to get him to tell him she was alright.

Val was _dead_, and Jack couldn't wrap his head around it.

And what bothered him more was how it didn't seem to faze Hiccup back at the hospital. Mr. Haddock had smoothed past the topic rather well, leading Jack to assume he hadn't said anything to the boy. It was bad _enough _that they were editing out bits and pieces to him; but to _Hiccup? _That just made Jack mad; the kid had been through enough and the _last _thing he needed was to figure out his Mom is dead _after _the fact. Maybe it was just him, but he'd rather hear about something like that as soon as possible. It got all the brooding and sadness out of the way a lot faster, like tearing off twoBand-Aids at the same time, instead of tugging them off one by one and making matters worse.

Jack sank back into his seat and let silence overtake them the rest of the ride home. He understood Hiccup's position just _far _too well, and the longer he thought about this the angrier he got.

* * *

Jack made a habit of visiting Hiccup as often as North could manage to bring him up.

Spring Break was rolling to a _terrible _close but it never stopped Jack; every afternoon he'd finish up his lunch and speed into North's study with his flip-flops on and his backpack stuffed with books or toys he wanted to bring Hiccup, and – providing he had the time – North would drive him and Emma back up to Bellefonte for a visit. They lasted around an hour or two, since Hiccup's painkillers had to be taken rather annually and they tended to _really _knock the coherency out of him.

That wasn't entirely a bad thing, though. Usually when Jack visited around 2pm, Hiccup hadn't taken them yet so he was really mopey and sluggish. After figuring out what times he had to take the red painkiller (the loopy one, if he remembered correctly), he figured out how to time himself just right so that when he came to visit, Hiccup would be just _barely _coherent enough so that all his jokes were about ten times funnier than usual. Maybe it was stupid, but he felt the kid needed a laugh after sitting inside for so long; he could only imagine just how maddening it must have been to sit in the same room for days without movement (school was one thing, but _that _must be torture!). There would be days when they walked in and Hiccup was watching TV (their cable sucked, though; he got stuck watching some nature channel), and other days when he'd be asleep so they'd have to wait for him to wake up.

It was usually those times that Jack realized just how irritating the heart monitor's beeps were; if his dreams were on the exciting side they'd speed up and Jack would spiral into panic until they calmed. Sometimes he'd furrow his eyebrows unconsciously, or wiggle his stump as if the other half of his leg were still there. It was usually those times that he woke up sort of hazily, with this awkward little glaze to his eyes and a loud, dramatic yawn. When he finally rubbed his eyes and spotted Jack, his words were so slurred that half the time Jack wasn't entirely sure what he was saying. One time, it teetered somewhere between "Hey Jack" and "What time is it", molding into this marvelous, disjointed babble that made Jack laugh _really _hard. Drug-induced sleep had the _weirdest _effects on the kid.

He didn't really move much – with good reason, of course – and every once in a while the nurses would pop in to check the monitor or ask him questions pertaining to how he felt. Most of the time he just nodded shyly or quietly mumbled "I'm alright" or "Thank you" beneath his breath. Most of his nurses seemed to really like him, save for one older-aged woman who fiddled with the IV and gave him quick updates on what was going on with the doctor. She always made a habit of throwing Jack the _nastiest _glances, so whenever she turned around he'd stick his tongue out at her. Hiccup and Emma always giggled. She'd whip around to throw a scowl at him, sending the three of them into a small laughing fit. North and Mr. Haddock always choked back laughs and failed to scold him about respect.

No one ever said anything about where Val was, and sometimes the nurses would rush Jack and his family out of the room when Hiccup's doctor wanted to speak with him and his father in privacy. Usually they left shortly after the discussion had ended, with a quick wave through the doorway or a series of hushed goodbyes when the doctor left. The last thing Jack caught out of the corner of his eye each time was Hiccup hitting the black button on his right. What bothered him, though, is he never complained about his leg hurting badly enough to press it. Jack never really paid enough mind to it, though, and soon enough his ability to visit Hiccup whenever had depleted.

By Monday morning, Jack had _dreaded _the thought of going back to classes. He swung onto the bus every morning with the horrible knowledge that he'd be alone at school, and he dragged his feet with every step closer to the lunch room in the afternoons. He bummed around a few of his classmates' table at lunch, but never said a word to partake in their conversations. Recess didn't quite feel the same, and he found himself on the swing sets every day of that week. Class dragged by the minute and Jack found himself _desperate _to leave every day, his mind heavy and tingling with excitement at the thought of leaving the awful place and going to see his best friend.

His visits ended up being the highlights of his day, really, despite his hatred of the hospital. It always made him happy to see Hiccup feeling better in the _slightest _of ways every day, starting from Wednesday, when he could finally bend his left leg without ungodly amounts of pain; all the way to Friday, when Jack tile-hopped into the room with Emma and caught the nurses teaching Hiccup how to walk with a pair of crutches. He wasn't allowed to leave the room (that _nasty _older nurse's orders), but it made Jack happy either way; he fumbled for a smile with every cautious wobble and clack of rubber against linoleum.

But Hiccup wouldn't crack. His lips didn't curve even for a _second_, and the look on his face was so strained, so focused that Jack found it progressively hard to smile as well. The only times he got up were to stumble into the bathroom, or when the nurses came in to help him with stretches for his leg. Hiccup was sort of awkward with them, staring at the instructor blankly before trying them himself and wincing a bit in discomfort. He was used to them by the third time she'd come in on Friday afternoon, but ultimately decided to take his painkillers shortly after doing them (Jack could only _imagine _how much it hurt the first time around) and falling asleep.

The first week of his hospital stay passed rather quickly.

Though admittedly, the intervals of classes and responsibilities Jack was forced to endure in Hiccup's absence dragged by the minute; it was only when he stepped into room 300 that time spun forward at a rapid pace. Jack hated to admit he was falling into a steady routine when it came to visiting his best friend, and it bothered him how much he took comfort in going. He liked babbling on about classes and seeing Hiccup snigger and sneer with a hidden delight at the simplest of things. He liked how he was starting to lighten up (as much as he could considering his situation, of course), and how every time he brought him a new book to read the boy seemed _overwhelmed _with joy. Then again, Jack would probably be happy too. A week stuck in the same room with nothing to do but watch _lame _cable TV and sleep sounded like hell on Earth to the older boy. He made a mental note to himself in his head to get Hiccup outside when they got back home; the kid could probably _really _use the change in scenery.

There was one day in particular that Jack learned something new.

Hiccup was laying in the bed rather motionlessly for a while, chatting away with him casually until his eyes widened and shifted to look at his amputated leg. Jack followed his gaze and raised an eyebrow, noting how Hiccup's expression didn't particularly mirror _pain, _but complete and utter terror. When he asked the boy what was wrong, Hiccup only asked for him to call a nurse, and when they asked what was wrong, the boy stuttered with fear,

"Tell them I can feel my toes wiggling again."

So Jack followed his instructions and a nurse sped into the room with a couple of other male nurses, and Jack watched as they reminded Hiccup – in the _calmest _of voices – that his leg wasn't there and he need to focus on something else. When Jack went to ask North about it, he explained simply that the phenomena was one called a "phantom sensation", where the mind plays a nasty trick on remaining nerves to make them think his leg was still there. He said something about how they were common, and how they'd go away with time. But that didn't stop Jack from freaking out about how _horrifying _the experience was. Hiccup was thrashing his leg around as if he was trying to bend his knee and kick, and Jack had _no _idea what to do.

He couldn't remember it happening again, though; Hiccup told him the nurses said not to focus on his leg so much, or else it'd probably happen again. They opted never to bring it up as a precaution, and that was the end of _that _little nightmare.

The second week of his hospital stay was… slow.

There were days North had to stop into work or he was too tired to drive them up to the hospital, so Jack was stuck at home twiddling his thumbs and tapping his foot with a constant worry that something might happen while he wasn't with his best friend. Emma tried to help him keep his mind off of things by playing hopscotch with him, or turning on movies when it stormed outside. Jack played along with her for a while, but the nights he couldn't see his friend were usually the ones he failed to sleep through. His mind would flood with constant worries and desperate prayers that his friend was holding up alright.

As he lay on his bed one stormy night, he peered out the window and noted the emptiness of his friend's room.

The little stuffed dragon was still perfectly perched at the headboard of Hiccup's bed, and the clutter on the floor hadn't been touched. He could barely make out the tiniest glimmers of unnatural yellow light on the ceiling and he smiled to himself when he noticed Hiccup had painted glow-in-the-dark stars above his bed. Slivers of moonlight illuminated the walls and tickled the tops of furniture, though Jack could hardly distinguish the book case from the dresser as miniscule raindrops shimmied down the window. The emptiness merely echoed his concern. It rumbled and roared hollowly like the thunder faintly singing miles away and flooded the alleys of his young mind like a river of rain pitter-pattering down asphalt.

Jack sighed, blowing his bangs out of his face. Toothless hopped onto his bed like he did every night and situated himself on top of Jack's pillow. The swirls of the ceiling had suddenly become the most interesting thing in the world as he turned his attention to them, following the unusually mesmerizing patterns with his pupils. He thought of all the times he couldn't sleep and did the same, and somehow his train of thought turned to the sleepovers he and Hiccup would have over the summer. The younger boy would curl into himself by the wall while Jack sprawled himself close to the edge of the mattress, his eyes stuck on the very same swirls he stared at now. And – now that he was thinking about it – those were the nights he slept like a log. Something about the boy's presence brought him comfort, though he wasn't entirely sure _what. _

Jack smiled to himself at the thought and peeked over at the empty room once more. The stuffed dragon was the first thing to catch his eye, and on the topic of security he remembered just how much Hiccup seemed to love the stupid thing. He brought it with him to sleep with at every sleepover, and Jack vaguely recalled him clinging to it for dear _life _when they'd first met. It struck him as a safety-blanket type of thing, a figure of security the boy held close to him constantly. He wasn't sure what the boy found so appealing about it – it was sewn pretty hastily, and one of the button eyes was coming loose – but the longer Jack reflected on its significance, the more his task became clear.

He shut his eyes and smiled to himself, already imagining the look on Hiccup's face. Jack was _sure _he was going to love this.

* * *

**Week Three: Tuesday**

* * *

"Well it's about _time!"_

Jack smiled with a mouth full of Cheerios upon receiving the good news. North was _finally _taking them up to see Hiccup this week (last week was kind of a bust; they only got up about three days or so) and Jack couldn't wait to go see him. The three of them sat at the kitchen table, finishing up their breakfasts with sleepy smiles and scruffy hair. Toothless worked on his bowl of food in the living room with loud chomps, but they paid him no mind; all Jack could really focus on was the overwhelming excitement of seeing his best friend.

North returned the gesture and held up his hands as if he were vowing. "Yes, yes, I know last week was bad. But Henrik will be getting prosthetic soon, so we will go see him today. Perhaps a bit longer than usual."

Emma tilted her head to the side, hair falling over her shoulder. "Prosthetic? What's that?"

"It's a fake leg," Jack proudly stated. "So he can walk around and stuff."

"Hm…" she pondered briefly and snapped her head back into place. She turned to North with a concerned expression. "Will it hurt him?"

North sniggered. "Not at all, little one. But it might take him long time to get used to."

"I'd imagine," Jack took a swig of his milk and smiled slyly. "What, with being a _cyborg _and all."

Emma's jaw dropped. "No _way! _Henrik's a robot!?"

"_Part _robot, and not yet!" the older boy snorted, ruffling his younger sister's hair playfully. "I bet they could give him lasers in his toes and everything."

"Oh! Oh! What if he had a jet pack in it?"

"Heh! He could probably fly like a _real_ dragon!"

"How cool would that be?"

Their father roared with laughter; giving them both pats on the head as he shuffled across the room to clean off his empty dish. Toothless scurried into the room and yipped, drawing the kids' attentions. They hopped out of their seats and gave him a quick pet before hurrying up the stairs to change. Jack and Emma bickered over who got to shower first (Emma ultimately winning, of course) and slid into their clothes, speeding outside to catch the bus with a bit of a bounce in their steps.

And all Jack could think about on the bus ride to school was how happy Hiccup was going to be when he finally got his dragon.

* * *

The lunch bell rang and Jack's sorrows eased.

He sped into the lunch room and plopped himself down at a random table (a couple of other boys sat at the table too) with his thoughts solely focused on Hiccup. The day was half-over, and he couldn't _wait _to run out the front door to see him. Lunch passed rather quickly, the conversations around him blurring and slurring into a senseless buzz he paid no mind to. The chaperones called for them to move into the playground, and Jack's initial instinct was to hurry to the swing-set to snag his favorite seat. Luckily for him, he managed it.

Recess wasn't very fun, but Jack didn't mind. Things would be better later that afternoon when he brought Hiccup his stuffed dragon. He could vividly imagine the stupid smile that'd light up his face and it made his stomach flip; maybe it was odd, maybe it was _stupid _and downright weird but he was really starting to love his best friend's smile. It held certain radiance to it that he couldn't quite place, but he loved it all the same. And – given the boy's current situation – seeing Hiccup smile was nothing short of a miracle. The dreary atmosphere of the hospital seemed to settle and tug at the corners of his lips during every visit; any time Jack could alleviate its gravitation was a blessing, really.

As he swung, thoughts buzzing about, Jack noticed a girl awkwardly waving at him and nearing his swing. He let his feet sink down a bit as the swing neared the ground and dug his heels into the mulch, forcing its movement to slow and stop. He hopped off the swing and strided towards her, taking a quick look at her beforehand.

She was kind of pretty, in her own regard, with ambitious blue eyes and a plethora of freckles just beneath them. Her rather _bright _blonde hair was tugged back into a messy French braid and a brown, studded headband sat beneath her bangs. The girl smiled sheepishly at him, her confident stance a polar opposite of her shy expression. Jack had the eerie feeling they'd met before, but he couldn't quite place a name on this girl. He threw her an awkward wave. "Uh… hi."

"Hey," she mumbled, her weight shifting between her skinny legs. "You're uh… You're Henrik's friend, right?"

Jack exhaled in place of a chuckle "Oh joy, I have a nickname… Yeah, why?"

The girl nodded, _clearly _not finding his joke quite as funny as he did. "Well.. I haven't seen him in class for the past two weeks," she sort of fumbled to word herself, nibbling her bottom lip a bit nervously as she pondered what exactly it was she was asking. "I guess I'm wondering where he's been, or if he's sick or something?"

Jack had to think to himself how to answer her. He sheepishly scratched the back of his neck and stuttered. "I uh… he's… he's in the hospital."

Her eyes widened with horror. "Oh gods, what _happened?!_"

"He got in a car crash," Jack _really _had to restrain himself from blurting out everything he knew at that moment. "And he got hurt really, _really _bad."

"Poor Henrik…"

"Eh, it's nothing to worry about, I think."

She glared at him incredulously.

"Hic—er…" He fumbled to correct himself. "Henrik's pretty tough, and he's been handling it pretty well."

The girl smiled softly and rubbed her arm with a sigh. She pushed her bangs out of her left eye and shut her eyes. "I guess that's true…" There was a brief pause between her words. "Hey… tell him I said to get better, okay?"

Jack nodded. "No problem, uh…"

The recess chaperone blew their whistle and everyone sped for the playground gates. The girl smiled at him quickly before hurrying him off.

"It's Astrid. Astrid Hofferson."

* * *

Something about the hospital felt… _off._

When Jack walked into room 300, there was an unsettling silence about it, and the look plastered on Hiccup's face was _unusually _melancholic. Generally speaking, he had the slightest of smiles on his face when Jack first stepped into the room for a visit, but today… today he looked downright miserable. His lips fell to the hospital's dreary gravitation, this time in a _complete _frown Jack didn't even know the boy was _capable _of wearing; his eyes were the same dull, lifeless green as the day he'd first come to visit, and their gaze was lowered to his tightly curled fists laid across his lap. Jack swallowed heavily. Something was wrong, _really _wrong, and he couldn't quite place what it was.

Upon surveying the room in more detail, he noted the empty seat beside Hiccup's bed where Mr. Haddock was _supposed _to be. He assumed the man was off at work or just out of the room for a brief moment, and he opted to take his seat beside the bed. Jack smiled at his best friend, who didn't even look up at him. "Hey, Hiccup."

The boy weakly smiled at him, head lowering a bit more. His bangs cascaded across his eyes, obscuring the dull, green orbs with a thick, auburn veil. Jack almost wanted to brush them out of his eyes, (it felt like he was hiding something, though _what _was undetermined) but that'd be _weird_, so he pushed back the thought and took a seat. Emma and North were chatting quietly across the room, leaned up against the far wall while Jack's attention was stuck on Hiccup. He gulped, giving his friend a ginger pat on the shoulder. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine."

His voice was shaky, cracked and Jack thought for a split second he was choking on something. But judging by his stillness and unwillingness to look at anything _but _his wiggling fists, he had a feeling that wasn't _quite _the case. He forced himself to shrug off Hiccup's rather hostile tone and placed his backpack on the floor. The _horrid _realization he had no idea what to say returned to him, like the first time he'd laid eyes on the broken boy. Jack sat beside him quietly, hesitantly extending his hand to pull out the dragon from his backpack but drawing it back for some unknown reason. It felt quiet for a long time, though the clock only registered it as ten minutes.

Emma – bless her little heart – was the first to break the silence. She turned to North with curious eyes and asked, "Dad, I'm a little hungry… can we get a snack?"

North glanced over at Jack, who shrugged. "Emma, don't you think it would be little rude to leave Jack and Henrik so soon?"

"It's cool," Jack weakly smiled at them. "I'll stay here with Hiccup. Bring me back something, if you can."

The two of them nodded and started out the room, Emma's tiny hand in North's significantly larger one. The shred of jubilance remaining in the air seemed to escape with them as silence settled between the two friends once more. Jack peeked over at Hiccup and noticed his shoulders starting to shake, as well as how tightly his fingers were digging into the palms of his hands. He could see certain parts of his body trembling, and his head only lowered more, his lips barely visible and he could _see _the boy biting down on his bottom one.

Jack panicked. Was he in pain or something?

He carefully tapped Hiccup's shoulder and stuttered, "H-Hey… is something wrong?"

He could _hear _how much faster his heart was beating from the incessant IV beeps. But Hiccup shook his head.

"Do you need me to call in one of the nurses?"

He shook his head again.

"…Hiccup?"

No response. Jack was starting to panic, so he placed a careful hand on the boy's shoulder. Hiccup jumped a bit at the sudden contact, and Jack could have _sworn _he heard the boy whimpering. He brought his face closer to the boy's, desperately trying to search for some kind of signal for something to do to help him. He looked away, and for a split second Jack caught the sight of a tear welling in the corner of his left eye, just barely skidding past his eyelid. His clenched his fists a little tighter and let his bangs fall over his eyes again.

Putting two-and-two together, Jack's heart split in half. Hiccup was trying not to cry, wasn't he?

Against his better judgment, he pulled back from the boy and inquired, "Hiccup, what's wrong?"

He just shook his head from side to side, _still _refusing to look over at his best friend.

"It's okay, Hiccup, you can tell me."

His shaking sped up, and Jack thought if he clenched his fists any tighter they'd bleed.

"Hiccup…"

"I'm fine, alright?"

Jack's face fell. Hiccup's voice cracked and crumbled beneath the weight of sorrow, and Jack knew that sound anywhere. It was the sound Emma made when she was _extremely _upset and on the brink of storming off, when her voice shook the same way and tears started rolling down her face. It was the sound of flood walls crumbling and water seeping through each rough little crack. Jack _hated _that sound. Hiccup was starting to cry, and no matter how far away he looked or how hard he tried to hold it in, it was coming.

It was coming, and he _hated _it.

What was worse was how the boy was trying _so _hard to put on a tough-face. He averted his gaze and repeatedly swallowed, exhaling brokenly but trying to hush the sound by contracting his stomach muscles. The sheets over his body shook with him, and his shoulders quivered violently, but he seemed to be stiffening his limbs in an attempt to still them (to no avail of course). He was trying so hard to keep the tears under lock and key but _everything _about his body language alerted Jack of his desperate endeavor. _Every _subtle contraction of his muscles and staggering breath just begged him to let it all out.

But Hiccup wouldn't let himself cry in front of Jack, and he found that so gut-wrenchingly dreadful he could hardly stand the tension.

"Hiccup, stop that," Jack found himself vocalizing his concern, snatching a tightly fisted hand into his own. He tried to pick his fingers apart and stop him from squeezing his palm so hard. Hiccup resisted. "You're gonna hurt yourself, doofus."

He didn't say anything, but he failed to bite back a particularly loud whimper. Jack glanced up at him, noticing his eyes were just _barely _visible beneath his bangs and the tears welling up at the bottom of them. They finally made their way down their face and raced along his cheeks, hitting the sheets silently as the boy used his free hand to hurriedly wipe away the next set threatening to fall. Jack's expression softened and his heart thumped loudly against his chest. Hiccup was trying _so hard _not to cry in front of him and it was starting to annoy him.

"Hey," he murmured softly, choking back his own annoyance. He eased his grip on the boy's hand and looked at him with a slight smile. "It's um… It's fine if you cry."

"I'm fine, really I—" Hiccup opened his mouth to speak but tears fell down his face at a more rapid pace. The tension in his shoulders eased and he slumped forward more, his bangs obscuring his eyes even more as his head fell and whimpers rushed out of his throat. Jack held onto his trembling hand, his eyes carefully scanning across his friend's expression. He could barely make out his features with his hair in the way, and his face was still turned so he couldn't quite see his face.

Taking the risk of doing something stupid, Jack scooted the seat closer and placed his other free hand on Hiccup's left shoulder. He gently asked, "Um… is something like… bothering you? Cause it's fine if you talk about it." He sheepishly smiled when the boy looked over at him. "I mean, I'm not the smartest person in the world, but I'll listen."

Oh _crap _that look on his face hurt. His eyes were red and his eyelids were starting to puff; the dull greens of his eyes shimmered with what he _assumed _was tears and Jack could hardly handle how utterly _miserable _the boy looked. Hesitantly, he reached over to brush some the hair in Hiccup's eyes but quickly pulled away once he was done, noting the way he seemed to cringe at the touch. He seemed so… fragile, like a porcelain doll with numerous cracks, ready to break at any second. Jack _really _didn't want to be the one who made him do so.

"I hate this place."

Jack's thought stupor was interrupted by a hush, broken voice. He stared at Hiccup curiously, letting every word seep into his mind and register one at a time. He nervously chuckled. "Can't say I blame you."

"No, Jack," he turned to him with melancholic eyes his eyes lowered again. "I _really _hate this place."

The older boy raised an eyebrow. "Something happen?"

His expression deadpanned. "Besides the obvious?"

"…you know what I mean."

"Yeah yeah," he huffed, turning his attention elsewhere. "It's just… it's so… _depressing _here, I guess. Beyond depressing."

Jack nodded, _completely _understanding what he meant.

"I can't even get up to go to the bathroom without feeling dizzy, and these _stupid _painkillers make me feel really weird." His expression fell progressively with every words, his eyelids drooping by the second. "There's no one to talk to and Dad's just…" his voice trailed off. It seemed like he was shaking off a thought. "And… and my leg is gone and no one is telling me _anything _anymore, and I can't do _anything _right…"

Jack's eyes widened. Hiccup's voice cracked _hard _on that last part, and tears were welling in his eyes again.

"I-I just… _woke up _and it's like I'm suddenly not allowed to know where Mom is," Hiccup whimpered, finally allowing his eyelids to flutter as he started to cry. "And Dad won't talk to me, and I can't… I can't _feel _half of my body and the _one time _he decides to say _anything_ to me, _anything _at all it's…"

His voice stopped all together, as if there were a lump in his throat choking the words and forcing him into a bitter silence. The moment froze and Jack couldn't breathe either; time had slurred and repealed its dominance over them as Hiccup simply sat and cried, tears trailing down his face so quickly and frequently it reminded Jack of the racecars he'd seen on TV once. As delicately as he could manage he reached over to hug his shoulders with both arms, taking care not to hit any wires or squeeze him too hard. Hiccup's sobs grew louder, his small form trembling in Jack's arms. His head rolled back a bit, and Jack could get a clear view of just how puffed and red the boy's eyes were, tightly shut and flooding with mournful tears.

He choked out a broken, "I want Mom back!" and Jack simply shushed him, holding onto him as tightly as he could manage without strangling the frail boy. He stroked his hair with one hand and squeezed his shoulder with the other, pressing his face into his neck. Hiccup shuddered and shook with every sob that made its way out of his mouth, and Jack sincerely whispered to him that things would turn out alright. When he pulled back Hiccup wiped his eyes and whined about how he _always _said that, and how he couldn't just _know _things would be okay.

So Jack just smiled back at him. "If there is anything I know, it's that things _always _turn out alright."

* * *

Hiccup ended up taking the sleepy-painkillers shortly after his outburst, mostly by accident since he wasn't exactly paying attention to the button he pressed.

He cursed under his breath and apologized to Jack repeatedly, but the older boy just smiled at him and told him it was fine. He reminded him that he'd be there when Hiccup woke up, and the younger boy seemed so comforted by his statement it made Jack's heart thump a little faster. As he drifted into unconsciousness, Jack remembered his task in the first place and tugged out the boy's stuffed dragon from his backpack. He carefully tucked it under Hiccup's arm as he fell asleep, and reveled in the slight, pathetic smile he was rewarded with.

Hiccup mumbled a quiet "Thanks, Jack," and for a minute, he let himself believe things were fine.

* * *

**Author's Note: **…at least it's not a cliffhanger? Yay? I'm sorry for splitting this in half; if I had added Hiccup's adventures in rehabilitation it would have been _way _longer than I wanted, so next chapter there will be _fluff_, I promise you! Thank you for sticking with me through this rather terrible arc and I'm going to apologize again~


	12. Step by Step

**Author's Note: **This is the _official _end of the arc. Meaning Hiccup will be going through rehabilitation and I'll explain a few minor details I neglected to explain in the previous chapter. I looked up about how long Hiccup's particular kind of amputation would need him to be in the hospital, and the average is 5 to 14 days unless there are complications. I figured I'd explain here that the extra week isn't anything went wrong or anything, honestly I'm kind of a space-case and spread out the weeks too far. So this chapter, we're starting from the day of his breakdown, and then moving into discharge. One major announcement though: **5****th**** grade is ending this chapter, and we're moving into 6****th**** grade next chapter. **

**Basic Overview: **The best – and worst – part about life is learning to take things step by step.

**Point of View: **3rd person: Jack/Hiccup alteration

**Warnings: **I'm pleased to say _nothing horrible. _**Large time skip. **(Prosthetic fitting takes longer than I initially thought)

**Age Reminder: **Jack is 12 (5th grade); Hiccup is 11 (5th grade); Emma is 9 (3rd grade)

* * *

**Chapter 12: Step by Step**

**May 11****th**

**Week Three: Tuesday**

* * *

Mr. Haddock didn't return while Jack was visiting.

North had explained to the boy that he was "elsewhere", and that he'd explain to him what was going on later (Jack _planned _to hold him to that) when Hiccup wasn't around. For the rest of the evening, they sat around Room 300 while the broken boy slept, his arm clutching his stuffed dragon tightly, as if it would vanish into thin air at any second. His eyes were shut just as tightly, almost _fearfully, _as if he'd open his eyes and it'd be the end of the world. If Jack didn't know any better, he'd have assumed Hiccup didn't _want _to wake up.

He was a bit of a light sleeper; even the _slightest _of noises stirred him. There was a point (sometime around 6pm, if Jack could remember correctly) that his dreams had his heart beating particularly fast, and the rapid, rather _loud _mechanical whirs had startled him. Hiccup _actually _had to turn to Jack and ask him what it was (he looked as if he had started to panic at the sound), so he dismissed it as nothing and Hiccup shortly fell back to sleep. North and Emma quietly sat across the room, their voices but mere whispers when they needed to speak. Emma had submerged her attention into the book she'd been bringing for the past few visits, while North was watching the TV (muted, of course).

Around 8pm, North asked them if they wanted anything to eat. Emma opted to go with him while Jack pledged to stay by Hiccup's side, so the two of them left – yet again – to walk down to the Friendly's on the lower floor. Once they were gone, he watched the still expression on Hiccup's face and let the heart monitor ring in his ears. His pulse was calm, and the intensity of his shut eyes had eased. He could see them moving beneath his eyelids, as if his unconscious thoughts had called for him to look at some fabricated images to his left and right. Jack smiled.

Hiccup seemed so peaceful when he slept.

His legs were motionless (and thank _god _for that; Jack didn't want another "phantom" incident) and his chest rose and fell at a steady rate, perfectly mirroring the heart monitor's beat. His bangs parted along his forehead, falling in opposite directions rather messily in clumps. It was sort of… _nice_, I suppose, to see Hiccup so still and at peace. He was caught in the sweet embrace of unconsciousness, where nothing could touch him and reality had no true meaning. It was a privilege for him to sleep, in a way; dreams provided an adequate immunity to his current situation. Then again, it was probably a privilege to fall asleep in _general. _Hiccup's nurses had a habit of popping in annually, so he could only imagine the boy didn't get a lot of time to rest.

After a good ten minutes of watching his unconscious form carefully, the heart monitor picked up and all Jack could think to do was panic.

His grip on the stuffed dragon had tightened (if that was even possible) and his eyes shut tighter. Every breath he took was laced with a groan and he wiggled reflexively. The heart monitor was picking up rather quickly; Jack was surprised the nurses hadn't come in to make sure he wasn't… well, _dying. _The broken boy mumbled beneath his breath and Jack could have _sworn _he spotted tears welling in the corners of his eyes. And – after his leg shifted a bit and his eyebrows furrowed – it hit him.

Hiccup was having a nightmare.

Jack mentally smacked himself for not realizing it sooner, and took a deep breath (collecting himself, since he didn't want to freak Hiccup out any more than he already was) before placing a hand on his shoulder and nudging him a bit. "Hey, Hiccup!" he quietly called to him, shaking his shoulder as mildly as he could manage. "Hiccup, wake up."

His eyes shot open and when he sat up the heart monitor hit one particular beat loudly. Hiccup leaned forward a bit, rubbing his eyes with his hands while his chest _heaved _for air. His breaths were jagged, and he peeked over at Jack with wide, frightened eyes before softening his expression. His upper eyelids drooped a bit, eyelashes fluttering as he readjusted himself to reality. Jack unintentionally let his hand slide to his back and rub circles in an attempt to calm him down a little.

"You alright?" Jack asked sort of _stupidly. _Of _course _he wasn't alright, the doofus…

Hiccup nodded, blinking quickly and smiling over at him crookedly. "Uh… yeah. I-I'm good."

"Bad dream?"

He nodded again, chuckling awkwardly. "_Really _bad one."

"I get those too, sometimes," Jack smiled sheepishly, not entirely sure _why _he just blurted that out. "They kinda come and go pretty quick."

"What do you mean?"

The older boy rubbed the back of his neck clumsily, lowering his eyes. "Uh… Well… I dunno. They're scary, but it's not that hard to get rid of 'em." He bowed his head. "They're just dreams, after all."

He peeked up at Hiccup, who was staring at him curiously. The heart monitor beeped slower, much to Jack's delight, alerting him that the boy had calmed significantly. He glanced upward at his best friend and mentally fought with himself before senselessly blurting out, "Can you keep a secret?"

Hiccup's eyes widened before he nodded. Jack sighed.

"So…" he blew his bangs out of his face and glanced around the room to affirm no one was around. "North used to tell me this story when I was little, about the Man in the Moon."

His friend raised an eyebrow.

"And he always said that… that he sorta watches over everyone," he thought back to the third night he'd first stayed in North's house, and the _horrible _nightmare that jolted him awake and into a crying fit. The old man had rushed into his room and sat at the foot of the bed, running a hand along his back as he explained the entire ordeal. Jack smiled to himself at the memory, finding warmth in it somehow. The words North had spoken rang in his ears as clear as a bell. "And he fights off all that bad dreams that come in the night to keep you safe."

Hiccup blinked. "Like a guardian?"

"Yeah. A guardian." Jack smiled. "He protects your dreams and keeps you from being afraid of the dark."

The younger boy returned his smile, and it only took a few minutes for Jack to start telling his tale. He recalled every gesture North made with his hands and mimicked it at just the right times, earning amused giggles and gasps at plot twists from his best friend. Mid-way through the story, Jack could have _sworn _he caught North standing just outside the room with a smile on his face, and Emma eventually blew his cover when she skipped into the room with a Friendly's bag. She handed it to the older boy, and he split a container of fries with Hiccup (after making sure it was okay to, of _course_) as he finished up his story. They left around 9pm that night, and Jack chuckled to himself as he stepped out of the room.

And he prided himself for the miniscule smile on his friend's face as he fell asleep.

* * *

**May 12****th**

**Week Three: Wednesday**

* * *

When Jack was alerted of his friend's discharge nearing, he bounced off the walls.

North had explained that tomorrow, he would receive a temporary prosthetic until he was healed enough to get it fitted, so Hiccup would be unable to walk very far for an extensive period of time. Of course, Jack's natural instinct was to offer to carry him around, and North's _initial _response was to decline it; apparently, his leg would still need to heal for a few months before he could walk or else it'd hurt immensely. He feared that the little dork would drop him, and – despite his efforts not to – he somehow took offense to that. However, North and he agreed that he'd leave Hiccup be for a month or two so he could adjust. Jack's offer still stood _after _that time, though. Like _hell _he was letting Hiccup sit around all the time; he'd done _enough _of that in the hospital. What that boy needed was a change of scenery, and Jack was willing to piggy-back him cross country if he needed to, _just_ to lift his spirits!

He smiled all the way through classes (despite how _miserably _boring they were), and made a note to find Astrid at recess at let her know he was out of the hospital. They chatted for a while, and Jack discovered she was actually kind of an interesting girl. She joked about video games he liked and made an occasional jab at him, but all-in-all she was just… cool. Pretty physical, too, considering when Jack cracked a joke she'd punch him in the arm and – go figure – it actually _hurt! _

The excitement of seeing his best friend back at home after three long weeks never faltered throughout his day; he couldn't seem to get rid of the grin on his face – not even in _Math_ class, and they were doing long division, too! And of course, when the final bell rung he met up with Emma in the foyer and they scurried onto the bus. Jack tapped his foot in his usual seat near the back while Emma plopped herself down next to Jamie.

The day just would _not _pass fast enough.

* * *

**May 13****th**

**Week Three: Thursday**

* * *

_One more day, Henrik. Just one more day. _

Henrik's eyelashes fluttered, parting hesitantly as he shuffled from the warm arms of unconsciousness and the harsh, _cold_ embrace of reality. The dreary white walls flooded his blurred vision, like a bright light shining in his eyes before dimming to conform to a sharper boundary. Static buzzed from the TV (no, wait… _two _TVs?) just across his bed, and – if he squinted enough – he could just barely make out the figure of two people talking in perfect synchronization on it. He furrowed his eyebrows a bit, shakily allowing his senses to regain themselves as he tried to focus on something, _anything _so his pupils would adjust to the lighting.

He was seeing double again, and it was starting to annoy him. All he could think for a moment was what a _mistake _it was to wake up when he noticed his father hadn't returned yet (the clock read 11::3377, though he had a feeling that wasn't quite right) and how stupidhe was for using the stronger painkillers to induce sleep. The nurses had told him it was alright to do so the first time he'd asked, and like the idiot he was he started using it to help knock him out cold whenever he couldn't _stand _being awake any longer.

Must to his dismay, he grew accustomed to doing so, and all-in-all it _did _help lull him to sleep (the nurses had an _awful _tendency of waking him up at night for tests so he rarely got to fully rest) but he _hated _its later side effects. It always left him lightheaded when he woke up, and the most _irritating _white noise rang in his left ear until he could regain coherency. Sometimes his vision would be all over the place, or his limbs would fall into an awkward, rather brief numbness that sent shivers down his spine.

Henrik sighed, rubbing his temples with his index and middle fingers until the ache in them eased slightly. It was a trick his Mother had taught him for headaches long ago, and as he slowly but surely regained the ability to comprehend his thought, he couldn't _stand _to look back at the memory. There was nothing but the joy of his mother's presence left in it; every vivid detail he used to pride himself in recalling had dulled to a hazy blur that didn't quite register in his head. All that was left was a bitter reminder of her absence, and Henrik found his stomach churning and his eyes stinging at the threat of tears. He mentally cursed himself for letting her cross his mind and choked back every sob working its way up his throat.

His disdain of consciousness was starting to gain frequency.

In reality, there was nothing but this damnable room and the constant clack of scissors cutting medical tape; no music except the mechanical hum-drum of his heartbeat bouncing across the walls; no company except his Father – whose company he _really _was starting to resent as everything unwound – and the ditzy nurses who talked to him like he was _five _or something. His dreams held wonder and the hazy silhouette of his mother reaching out to him, with the occasional pop-in from Jack or an exotic dragon. He was an unconscious king – a conqueror and adventurer in the unwritten planes of insentience – torn from the gracious, giving lands and thrown directly into the crossfire of reality.

He hated waking up. He really, _really _did.

The only highlights of sentience he could determine at the time were two things: the promise of departure he'd received some time around 9am (though admittedly, its excitement had dulled but moments after the nurse had left and his father had added his comments in), and when Jack's family came to visit (Jack's last name differed so it felt weird addressing them as a single unit) in the afternoons and nights. Henrik couldn't wait to finally leave this _horrid _place, where every white wall echoed regretful news and his heartbeat whirred unnaturally to a mechanic rhythm. He couldn't wait to go home and sleep in his own bed and just… be by himself for a while.

Now don't get me wrong; his Father hadn't done anything to spite him. As a matter of fact, he wasn't saying or _doing _much of anything at all. He sat beside Henrik during the days and stayed overnight when he could, but his presence was… awkward. Unnaturally quiet and utterly unwanted. He never had anything to say, and when Henrik asked him questions about what was going on he _rarely _answered them. Only when it had come time for Val's funeral to come in question did he say anything to the boy; _when _it had taken place only lured him to the tender warmth of unconsciousness.

May 11th was the _worst_ day of his life.

It was the day he grew uncertain of whether his mother was in ashes or buried in the ground, and simultaneously the day he'd broken down in front of his best friend. It was the day that his father left for a funeral and didn't even give him a goodbye, and the same day he'd experienced one of the worst nightmares of his life – and he couldn't even remember what it was _about. _It was the day he started realizing how much he _hated _being awake and how much he _hated _this place and _hated _the position he was in.

Henrik huffed. His thoughts stirred incomprehensible anger and melancholy all at once and it was starting to make him dizzy. He was having _enough _problems as it was trying to stabilize himself. Taking a moment to shut his eyes and regain his composure, he reached for one of the books on the tray table beside him and stopped mid-movement when he felt his stuffed dragon stir against the right rail. Henrik tugged it back onto his lap and simply admired its appearance for a moment.

The right button-eye was starting to come loose, and with a shaky finger he pushed it back into its place so it wouldn't dangle. Of course, gravity reclaimed the string and it returned to its limp position so he merely patted it on the head with a sigh. Its fabric was starting to dirty; the once-black material stained with a few patches of dirt (from rescue-escapades with Jack, no doubt about it) and dotted along the top of its head with a light, wet sheen. Henrik blew his bangs out of his face. Great. He _actually _got tears on the little guy; how cliché was that? Stitching along its spine was still in decent tact, though he noted a couple of splits along its belly and one of its wings. His eyes wandered a bit more and he found himself locking eyes on the left half of its tail.

Ironically enough, a few of the stitches were loose there.

He snorted to himself and curled the stuffed dragon into his arms again, letting his back slouch against the mattress and the wires beside him clang as he did so. He glanced at the loose stitches and thought about Toothless, oddly enough, and found himself smiling at the thought he'd get to go see his puppy after _weeks _of leaving him with Jack. It made him smile thinking about all the mischief the little devil must have gotten into, and all the tormenting he must have imposed on his best friend. He made a mental note to himself to thank Jack and Emma for watching him for so long; _especially _when it crossed his mind that Toothless _hated _the former.

While his vision _refused _to help him distinguish the floor from the wall across the room, he let his thoughts wander a bit and found himself wondering just what time Jack was coming to visit today. When his father got back (and he _prayed _that wouldn't be soon; the space he had right now was _marvelous_) he planned on asking him, and until his best friend go there he'd probably force himself asleep (despite his _hatred _for the "I just woke up" feeling that followed). Could you blame him for being stupid though? Stuck in the same room for three weeks… Henrik had hit a point where he'd started counting the swirls on the ceiling; it was _that _boring.

He clutched his dragon a bit tighter while he returned to the "when's Jack coming" thought train. Henrik's smiled widened crookedly.

He couldn't _wait _to see his friend, pathetically enough; the company was appreciated, and – even if it was something miniscule – Jack always had something to talk about with him. Sometimes he'd go off on tangents about some movie he sat through during class, or the other kids in it who annoyed him. All Henrik could really think to do during them was laugh and focus on the ever-changing expressions on his face, vibrant and full of excitement as if _everything _in the world was a source of entertainment for him.

He liked his stories and how random they were, though the Man in the Moon particularly interested him. The way Jack told it was so vivid and wonderful, as if he'd lived it himself and told it a thousand times before. He made these goofy gestures with his hands and inflected his voice at the _weirdest _points in the story, drawing sniggers and giggles from the younger boy.

And… maybe it was odd, but he just enjoyed Jack's presence in general.

It comforted him – in a way – that the boy was so insistent on visiting him. It felt nice to be cared about, and he sincerely appreciated his efforts to keep him entertained. Every visit, he brought him a different book (Henrik only assumed he'd climbed across the rooftops and plucked them off of his desk, the little sneak) and a new story to tell; there was a visit sometime at the beginning of May – the 1st, he thought – that Jack brought him his book of dragons and all he could manage for a thank you was an amused, dorky giggle. Yeah. Not his _smoothest _response, but since when has he been known for being smooth?

Jack had another marvelous habit of checking up on him during each of his tangents. While he was weaving some elaborate tale about Field Day (thank the _gods _he missed that) he stopped mid-sentence when the heart monitor beeped a little faster to ask if he was alright, and if he needed anything. Henrik just shrugged it off and politely declined, so the older boy continued on. All-in-all, Jack was really kind to him despite how confused Henrik could only _imagine _he was. He recalled how flustered he seemed the first day, and it meant a lot that his best friend was trying so hard to cheer him up. He didn't pick on him for crying like Henrik half-expected him to, and he didn't bring up his Mom or the car crash, or any of the _terrible _things that made reality such a let-down at the time.

Jack was probably the most _normal _part of his life right now, and Henrik couldn't even _begin _to describe how much that meant to him.

He didn't treat him like the nurses did, with their fake, cushy "It's gonna be alright" speeches and their ridiculous manner of addressing him with forced hospitality. Gods, it bothered the _crap _out of Henrik when they spoke to him like a child; they put on these slow, high-pitched voices you'd put on to talk to an _infant_, and it drove him to the brink of insanity. And the lingo some of them took to was _maddening, _especially a particularly perky nurse who laughed at the most inappropriate times and referred to him as "honey" or "pumpkin". Of course, he responded to her kindly and minded his manners but the woman drove him crazy.

Rather, his best friend's voice was a pure contrast to the façades about the hospital. He entered his room because he _wanted _to, not because he was getting paid to run some useless test and scribble down some chicken-scratch information. The delight beneath every word he said held a genuine ring, and every smile on his face came naturally and appropriately; Jack laughed when it was okay to laugh, and held his composure certainly. He never _forced _Henrik to believe things would be okay with cushy, half-hearted words. There was something about the calm expression about his face, and the sincerity in his voice when he spoke that made him _honestly _believe things would turn out alright, even if that hope lasted for a split second.

Henrik slouched back even more and narrowed his eyes, hugging his dragon close to his chest. The usual buzz of hospital antics was hushed behind the closed door to his room and he focused on the silence and free space about him that allowed free thought. Seizing the opportunity, he reflected on his time in the hospital briefly before turning his attention – once more – to his dragon. Its significance brought a smile about his face and he brought it up from his chest to curl into his shoulder, cradling it a bit in his hand before holding it tightly. It echoed the memories of his mother's touch and her calm, collected voice reminding him that things would be alright. It guarded sacred memories like a proper knight and every stitch retold a bedtime story from long ago.

He reminded himself it was _Jack _who'd brought his stuffed guardian to him and it was _Jack _who'd given him the best of those memories. Henrik sighed contently. Jack had given him so much over the years – a puppy (though that was a bit… er… indirect), a friend, a promise and a snowstorm, a series of tasteful memories, a swig of _disgusting _loopy juice, and the comfort of a metaphorical home. Henrik sniggered to himself. He hadn't the slightest idea what had gotten him on this train of thought, but as his senses heightened to their regular state, he drew a conclusion in the recesses of his mind. In the end, all the little dragon could do was stand guard and give some pretty lousy hugs.

Jack was the _real _guardian, and – call him crazy – he couldn't wait for him to arrive.

* * *

"The doctor will be in to show you how it works in just a minute, so sit tight for a few."

Hiccup nodded at the mild-mannered nurse and watched her swing out of the room, his eyes moving to his friend shortly after. Jack was bouncing on the balls of his feet, a wide smile plastered across his face as he watched his friend shuffle to sit up. Today, the mysterious "prosthetic" would be revealed to them, and he couldn't wait to see Hiccup start walking (minimally, of course; he understood that these things would take time). The younger boy gingerly placed his stuffed dragon on the tray table, giving his father a quick glance before he fumbled to scoot down the bed and let his legs (or… leg and _stump_, rather) dangle off the edge. Jack naturally hurried over and pulled up the railing while Emma untangled some of the messily strung wires laid across it. He sat beside Hiccup and placed his hands on his waist, helping him scoot forward with a stifled groan. The younger smiled up at him, and Jack returned it without hesitation.

They waited for a solid twenty minutes, though to Jack they passed like _hours. _I mean, his best friend was _one_ step closer to coming home; _naturally _he was thrilled. He bounced from his position on the bed, making Hiccup's limper form wiggle with him. He looked over at him with a wide, anticipating smile. "You excited, Hic? I mean, tomorrow is like… _the _day."

His best friend nodded, looking over at him with a weaker smile that radiated an equal amount of excitement. "Yeah, it'll be nice to finally get out of this place for once."

"Just don't go doing anything too crazy, 'kay?" Jack poked him in the nose and narrowed his eyes. "I don't want you coming back here _any _time soon. You gotta _promise_ me, Hiccup."

"Kinda hard to promise something like that when you keep trying to get me do stupid stuff."

His expression blanked for a split second, and the younger boy sniggered. Wow. Hiccup was starting get _mouthier_ as he got older.

"Hey, don't pin that on me; you could say no at _any _time, dork!"

"You don't really make it easy to."

"But I make it easy _enough_, huh?"

Hiccup fumbled for a response, and Jack smirked victoriously. He held up his left hand with an honest chuckle. "Fine. I won't do anything stupid if you _promise _me you won't come back here."

"You sure you can handle that?"

The older shrugged. "Just keep your butt out of the hospital and I'll figure something out."

Hiccup stared at him blankly, an eyebrow raised with a droop to his eyelids that screamed "are you serious?" Jack smiled crookedly and offered him a pinky. The younger merely rolled his eyes and curled his own around it.

"Fine. I _promise_."

The doctor came in and explained shortly after that Hiccup's prosthetic was only a temporary one, and that it wasn't fitted properly so that he could use it to walk around. It was "only for emergencies" (whatever _that _meant), since apparently Hiccup's stump would need a few months to fully heal so he _could _walk properly. Jack made sure to pay _extra_ close attention to his explanations, just in case something happened at home and his best friend needed some help. He mentally noted that he wasn't allowed to travel more than a foot or so with it on or else he'd hurt himself.

And when his lecture was finished, he asked if they had questions (regrettably, none of them did; he summed it up rather nicely) he gestured for someone to come in, and shortly after two nurses stepped into the room. One of them held what looked like a big blue cup with a giant metal curve at the bottom. Jack noted how much thicker and wider the flatter end was; it must have been the part that would hit the floor. They shuffled to the side of the bed and explained to him how to put it on; Hiccup initially seemed nervous, but he took a deep breath and slid the stump in, bending his knee a bit to make sure it was on tight enough. Jack sniggered at his first try; as it turns out, he had it on _backwards_, the doofus. He fixed it shortly after and the nurses knelt down to check it.

The look of absolute wonder on his friend's face was adorable in the most peculiar way.

He seemed… _fascinated_ by the stupid thing, with his dulled, green eyes sparking brighter with interest as he wiggled his left leg around. He tapped the floor with the metal end of it and Jack noticed the way his eyes wouldn't leave his leg, despite the doctor's constant reminders and comments. And – sure enough – he invited the boy to stand after asking a few questions and letting his stump adjust to the new "limb".

"There's no rush, Henrik," the doctor reassured him, smiling down at him sincerely. "Take things at your own pace; if you move too quickly, you might hurt yourself."

Hiccup nodded, swallowing thickly before shooting Jack a quick glance. "Uh… alright."

"You need help standing?" the older boy offered him a hand, to which the younger smiled. Jack carefully let his arm wrap around his friend's waist; together they slowly worked their way up, and Hiccup prudently shifted his weight off his left leg to his right. The wires from his arm swung a bit but gradually stilled. "You alright?"

"Yeah," he exhaled sharply. "I'm good."

The doctor looked over at him with an encouraging smile. "Does it hurt?"

"No, sir."

"Excellent," the man cheered, gesturing for the nurses to help the broken boy. Jack politely stepped out of their way and they moved to stand on each of Hiccup's sides. "Now, I need you to put a little weight on your left leg. Can you do that?"

Hiccup nodded. Staring down at the prosthetic, he clumsily shifted his hips to stand up straight, wincing a bit as his leg unbent. Jack watched every subtle twitch in his body carefully.

"Any pain?"

"A little."

He scribbled something down on a chart and turned his attention to Hiccup once more. "Alright, I'm going to have you walk up the hallway and back." He stated calmly. "The prosthetic you have isn't fitted for you to walk long distances, but we need to get you moving as soon as we can."

The young boy nodded, glancing down at his leg.

"It's for emergencies only, Henrik," The doctor continued. He turned to Mr. Haddock, who sat with his hands folded on his lap across the room. "Try not to let him walk with it more than he really needs to. His leg needs more time to heal, but he can be fitted in two months. Rehabilitation follows on average for about two weeks, though judging by how quickly your son is healing he might not need that much time."

"I understand." His father affirmed.

"Now that that's over with…" the doctor sighed, handing the chart to a nurse who took it out of the room. "Let's get you going, Henrik."

* * *

Walking was weird.

This entire… leg… _thingy _was weird, and Henrik couldn't quite adjust himself to walking the first time around. Every step he took was awkward, the metal of his left leg clanking against linoleum obnoxiously in comparison to the clumsy press of his right, bare foot. He constantly had to remind himself to put weight on his left leg, but every time he let the prosthetic hit the floor and tried to, he had to quickly shuffle his right leg forward. It wasn't that the weight on his leg was _terribly _painful, but it was _certainly _uncomfortable enough to warrant his attempts to limp off of it.

It took him a while to make his way out of the room. He actually had to use Jack's shoulder as a buffer when Emma accidentally wheeled his IV into the door frame (she was apologizing so quickly he could hardly get a word out), allowing him a brief moment of reprieve from the discomfort of movement. When the wires untangled from the door handle, and she managed to realign the wheels so they wouldn't strike the walls, Jack guided Henrik out into the hallway. Henrik _really _had to focus on what he was doing, and despite Emma's reminders to not look at his feet so much, he couldn't take his eyes off the floor. It was the most surreal feeling, like he couldn't take his eyes off his leg or else the stupid prosthetic would disappear.

By the time they hit room 280, he was starting to get the hang of it.

Placing weight on his leg became easier as he inched his way down, and as he grew more comfortable his pace sped up. Glancing over at Jack, he noted that his friend was following him closely, eyes darting between his face, the hallway ahead, and his fumbling feet. Henrik found himself smiling for a split second at the observation. Jack was paying equally as much attention to his walking as he was himself. And as they neared their checkpoint beside the dry-erase room chart at the end of the hallway, Henrik was feeling comfortable enough to walk a little quicker. So – without really thinking about it – he swiveled on his right heel slightly (turning back around so they could head back to his room) and confidently stepped forward.

…and, in the process, nearly threw himself onto the floor.

The nurses around them immediately glanced over as Emma gasped and Jack reflexively caught him, his IV wires clinging against their metal perch loudly. Some struck the sides of the machine and skidded along its sides, but Henrik paid them no mind; the wires still in his wrists stung a bit from jerking forward and his left leg throbbed dully from the sudden weight-shift. His heart pounded, stricken with a sudden rush of adrenaline and his nerves quivered. Jack held onto him tightly and he helped Henrik move to stand up straight again.

The older boy's expression softened. "Hey, you alright?"

Henrik gulped and nodded, forcing himself to calm down from his fumble. Emma hugged the metal stand of his IV and furrowed her eyebrows. "Are you hurt?"

"No," He shook his head. "I-I'm okay."

"The nurse said to take it slowly, doofus," Jack huffed, sliding the hand on Henrik's torso around to his back again. He rubbed circles when he noticed how much he was trembling, but stopped as he calmed. The younger boy pouted, shakily regaining his balance by shifting his weight back to his right foot. "Quit hurrying or you're gonna fall over."

Taking a moment to catch his breath, Henrik let his left leg come forward, gingerly pressing the metal end of his prosthetic to the linoleum before placing weight on it. He hastily let his right foot come forward, wobbling a bit when too _much _weight focused on his left but taking a step successfully nevertheless. He gripped Jack's arm tightly and repeated the process, gradually gaining speed despite his friend's protests and Emma's warnings. He tried not to focus on the wheels of his IV spinning behind him, or his friends trying to tell him to slow down.

Henrik was _walking, _and he wasn't planning on slowing down for a second.

However, he stumbled a bit on the last step, and nearly fell to the floor had Jack not caught him. The wires of his IV swung as he came forward, and Emma gasped a bit at the initial fumble. Jack furrowed his eyebrows and helped him rebalance. "What'd I _just _say?"

Henrik mimicked his expression. "I'm doing fine, Jack."

"If by fine, you meaning hurtling yourself into the floor I'd say yeah, you're doing _great_." The older boy sighed, shutting his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose with his right hand. Henrik rolled his eyes. So he nearly tripped a few times, big deal! He was clumsy enough already, and he was tripping _before _the prosthetic. Clumsiness aside, Henrik _knew _what he was doing; like _Hel _he needed Jack to tell him how to walk. "Just go slow, okay? Get used to it before you go running marathons, speedy."

He scoffed. "Fine…"

* * *

The nurses had him stretch his legs like that every couple of hours that night.

Jack would shuffle out the door with him and Emma would wheel his IV behind him just like the first time around, and with every lap they conquered, Hiccup got more and more comfortable with the dinky little prosthetic. Of course, each round they would return him to his room and he'd slip out of the faux-limb and load up on painkillers for a while (_man, _Jack could only imagine how much it hurt!), letting himself return to that loopy, goofy half-conscious state Jack had grown accustomed to seeing his friend in during the afternoon.

Mr. Haddock was finally talking a little more (though, mostly to North) while Jack and Emma crowded around the broken boy's bed and giggled about his dorky laugh. Jack cracked stupid jokes, earning a roll of eyes from his sister and a roar of laughter from his drugged-up friend; seeing him so jubilant and his smile so wide (even if it was drug-induced) made his heart soar with joy. Soon, he'd get to run around with the boy like they usually did and see that smile radiate naturally as they played; he'd get to see Hiccup in his natural state, brave and curious by circumstance, yet prudent and keen by nature. He'd get to make more memories with his best friend, and this entire _horrid _mess would be behind them.

Jack couldn't wait. Hiccup was coming home tomorrow, and it excited him so much he could hardly sit still.

When the nurses came in for a last lap down the hallway (they managed to catch Jack before North declared their departure), Emma had fallen asleep in one of the chairs already. Jack claimed the responsibility of supervising his best friend _and _pushing the IV (what a hero, am I right?) as they made their way out of the room and into the hall. At first, Hiccup had set a decent pace for himself. He wobbled along carefully, using his arms to balance himself when he stumbled.

Halfway through, he got… well, downright cocky about it and started hurrying along, practically _rushing _down the hall with Jack calling after him to stop. Naturally he ignored him, until his left leg throbbed with pain and he shook, tumbling forward. Jack rushed in front of him and caught him in his arms; the younger's nose buried into the crook of his neck clumsily (_ouch _by the way) as the older lifted him up. The blue-eyed brunette deadpanned his expression and dinked him the forehead the back of his hand. "What part of 'let's go slowly' are you not getting?"

"I'm fine, okay?" Hiccup huffed, lowering his eyes to the floor. "I just tripped."

"Cause you're going too fast, doofus!" Jack retorted, his features laced with annoyance. Can you blame him though? It's like no matter _how many _time they told him to slow down, Hiccup kept speeding ahead as if his life depended on it. He wouldn't _listen_, and it was starting to piss Jack off. "You're gonna fall and hurt yourself if you keep speeding ahead and—"

"Jack, I'm _fine!_" Hiccup spat back, rubbing his forehead with his right hand before carefully marching onward. "I know how to walk, genius…"

He growled a bit. "Do you _always _have to be so stubborn?"

"It's not that big of deal."

"Oh _sure_, falling down and breaking your face is nothing…"

The younger boy stopped in his tracks and exhaled sharply. Jack watched him carefully, raising an eyebrow as he whipped around and nearly _yelled, _"I just wanna get this over with, okay?!"

Silence settled between them. Jack wasn't entirely sure how to respond other than to mumble, "Sorry."

Hiccup sighed. "…Me too."

He stopped for a moment and let his right side lean against a wall, alleviating all weight from his left foot. Jack wheeled the IV over to him and stood beside him, watching his friend's expression shift from irritation to a more somber one within seconds. He felt his own features soften, and placed a hand on his best friend's shoulder. Hiccup turned to him with drooping eyelids and a thin frown.

"Hey," Jack brushed the bangs out of his friend's face, earning a confused stare from the boy. He pulled his hand back sheepishly and cleared his throat. Sometimes he forgot his friend wasn't as comfortable with physical contact as his sister was. "I know your leg probably hurts, and the hospital's not too fun but… it's only one more day, okay?"

Hiccup's eyes lowered. He nodded weakly.

"So just… go easy on yourself, I guess. Quit trying to make things harder by doing stuff you _can't _yet. You're just gonna bum yourself out even more."

Tears welled in the corners of the younger boy's eyes, and Jack felt a sting of _something _rake through his heart. "I just wanna walk again," his friend admitted, voice cracked at the threat of crying again. "I wanna go home and be done with this place."

"Well…" Jack thought for a minute, and wheeled the IV back into the center of the hallway. Hiccup shakily followed, his green eyes wide with interest. "You're not gonna get there any time soon if you're falling all over the place. Come on." He made a gesture with his hand for the boy to follow him, so Hiccup shuffled to stand beside him. Jack took his friend's left arm and draped it around his right shoulder and let the IV machine spin along the floor to his own left hand, out of his best friend's way so he could walk.

Hiccup gaped at him for a moment, eyes lowering to the floor and darting up to his friend's eyes confusedly. "Now let's try this again..." Jack simply asserted, "No looking at the floor, okay?"

"How do I see where I'm going, then?"

Jack smiled. "That's what I'm here for, ya' doof, so I'd better not catch you peeking down, got that?"

Hiccup nodded.

"Good, then let's take things slowly, okay?" Jack looked over at his friend, whose expression was fearful as his eyes fluttered nervously between differing points in front of him. "It's alright, Hiccup. Keep looking up, I'll walk with you."

"Okay, okay, okay…" the younger repeated to himself, hesitantly shifting his weight and taking a step with his faux left leg, and then to his right. When his limbs wobbled, he whimpered a bit but Jack held onto him tighter.

"It's okay," he reassured him softly, moving his own feet in time with Hiccup's shaky steps. "No reason to worry, alright? Let's just go one foot at a time."

Hiccup looked at him with anxious eyes and his lips curved crookedly. He tried once more, placing his left leg forward (and Jack mimicked the moment) to place weight on it. He smiled to himself when he managed to make the step without tumbling or feeling any discomfort.

"See?" Jack grinned. "We've just gotta take this step by step."

* * *

When Henrik finally returned home on May 14th, the house was _far _too quiet for his liking.

Sven had been kind enough to carry him inside (he explained on the ride back that he _really _didn't want him walking just yet) and carefully brought him up to his room. The usually cheerful green walls seemed to illuminate about three tints brighter as his Father laid him across the mattress. Upon impact (though it was rather delicate, surprisingly enough) every taught muscle in his back melted into the duvet. He sighed contently, taking comfort in the idea of lying in his _own _bed in his _own _room. Its plush embrace staggered his perception of reality until it dulled into a hazy blur. Henrik wiggled beneath the comforted and tugged it over his weakening form until it covered him up to the bridge of his nose.

Oh the _joy _of being in his own bed after three stiff weeks…

"Do you need me to bring you anything?" his father's voice cut through the silence sharply. It was rather hushed, like the blunt end of a dulled knife gliding across Henrik's eardrums.

He mumbled into the duvet, "No. Thanks, Dad."

"Of course, son." The shuffle of feet against the carpet echoed in the air momentarily, but retarded as the door creaked open. Sven stuttered slightly. "And uh… Henrik?"

He moved the blankets from his ears and peeked over, letting his eyes reveals themselves from behind their brown and green plaid veil. "Yeah, Dad?"

The man's expression fell. He opened and closed his mouth a few times but no words came out, as if he knew what he _wanted _to say yet something held him back. Silence fell about the room, and for a minute Henrik's stomach turned.

"I'll be… picking up Toothless in a little bit."

Henrik's face fell too. His lips twitched, so he tugged the comforter back up to hide their miniscule frown. "Uh… alright. Thanks, I guess."

"Sure… just… get some rest, son."

He awkwardly nodded, expression tensing with confusion. "Yeah, I… p-plan to."

Sven shuffled out of the room silently, shutting the door carefully behind him to leave Henrik to his thoughts. But for once in his life, he couldn't manage any. He was stuck in this perpetual purgatory between the conscious buzz of confusion and the unconscious allure of dreams. He staggered to shut his eyes and allow himself to indulge in sleep's wonder, but found himself staring at the wall instead, his hearing heightened as he listened for something, _anything _to focus on besides his inability to drift away. But his labors brought him no fruits. The house was too quiet. _Dad _was too quiet. Mom was gone and Toothless was over at Jack's house so he was completely alone again. He thought that was what he wanted, but now that he got his wish he'd do _anything _to hear his friend's stupid jokes or his father yelling at the dog for doing something stupid.

And for an awful, rather brief moment it felt like he was sitting in the hospital bed all over again.

* * *

Summer vacation came and went rather quickly that year, and with it came the promise of new beginnings.

Of course, Jack and Hiccup didn't particularly do anything overwhelmingly spectacular for those three months; they mostly consisted of Jack piggy-backing Hiccup across the yard (he didn't want Hiccup walking too much either, apparently) so they could sit in the grass beneath the sun and the occasional movie night when it rained. Sometimes Emma would skip over with Jack and the three of them would play board games or pretend in the living room. Other times, they'd hurry outside (Jack with a bit more difficulty, now that he had taken to carrying Hiccup on his back) to roll around in the grass and chase Toothless around. Most of the time, though, the little ball of fur curled up beside Hiccup on the lawn and guarded him like a loyal knight. He growled menacingly as Jack neared his master and wagged his tail when Hiccup scratched behind his ear and – in later discovery – under his chin.

Mr. Haddock wasn't home very much that summer, Jack noticed, and in his place was Hiccup's grandfather. He rarely said much, but when he did it was in a rather hush, coarse voice Jack could never really understand, yet Hiccup heard him clear as day as if they'd worked out their own language. The younger boy had always enthused about how the old man would teach him cool stuff, like how to speak certain phrases in Latin (Jack would _never _understand what the heck he'd need that for, but whatever…) or how to play chess. From the times Jack had seen him, he could only think of two words to describe him: old and wrinkly. He had a bad habit of smoking out of a pipe while he was outside, so Jack had taken precautions not to go near him when he did so (it _reeked!_).

The days passed rather quickly, though, as if the younger's hospital stay _truly _had no significance in their plans. Jack still chided about his control over the weather (what a doofus; he didn't even make it snow like he _said _he would a few years ago) while Emma poked fun at him for being stupid. They bickered and Emma usually came out victor while Hiccup laughed and gave his two cents when it was needed. He got his new prosthetic mid-August, but wasn't permitted to enroll back into school until the third week of September (just as a precaution; they need to make sure it was fitted alright). While Hiccup was partial to the idea of going to school with it, Jack reassured him that everyone would think his "cyborg leg" was the coolest thing ever.

5th grade drew to a close rather peacefully. Its conclusion came in like a lion and out like a lamb, much as rain in the spring time often did. But there was a hope about the thrill of enrolling into a new school; the term "middle schooler" brought about a rousing rush of adrenaline that only gradual maturity could grant. The year ended on a higher note (though still pretty flat, and awkward to listen to) as time healed wounds – though the mental battle scars seared _slowly _– and Hiccup slowly grew accustomed to wobbling on one leg.

The 5th grade was mourning. It was loss and gain in the same fateful night; uncomfortably stiff hospital beds and _annoyingly _loud heart monitors. It was the promise of something new presenting itself yet the death of something – and some_one — _wonderful exhuming. 5th grade was Valentine's Day and the mysterious "center" code, loopy juice and resolutions, and the _horrid _fear of being alone but the promise of companionship. It was teaching Hiccup how to smile again, despite _everything _horrible he'd been through within the span of 24 hours.

It was learning to take things slower than Jack and Hiccup were accustomed to; fumbling forward step by step at a clumsy rhythm they found themselves comforted by.

* * *

**Author's Note: **And that's it, folks. That's the horrible arc I had planned from chapter 1. Thank _gods _we are past it, since I have a lot of shenanigans planned for the boys in Middle School – as that's every kid's awkward phase that _needs _to be explored for the sake of the story – as well as a few lovely new introductions in High School. Thank you for barreling through this monstrous arc, I love you guys so much!


	13. Everlong

**Author's Note: **6th grade, _finally_. We're nearing High School (though that's gonna take a considerable amount of chapters to finally reach, I neglect to inform you) and the boys have hit their "awkward" ages. I have _so many _shenanigans planned, and a "get-together" so to speak that'll be a bit painful to read/write but it'll help their development, I _swear it! _If you're glaring at me for the title, it's one of my favorite songs by the Foo Fighters. The word isn't an actual word, but it's presumed to mean an extensive period of waiting. Chapters might end up shorter than the last arc starting from this one (I have minimal plans for 6th grade other than awkwardness). I also kind of screwed up dates, so I'll announce now that **Hiccup missed the tour of the school (first week) and one of the class events **(club day or something; all I know is that September 1st and 2nd are kind of useless days).

**Basic Overview: **Middle School has started and the boys have some adjusting to do.

**Point of View: **3rd person: Jack/Hiccup alteration

**Warnings: **I'm pleased to say _nothing painfully horrible! _Cameos and a minor panic attack – but fluffy comfort afterwards.

**Age Reminder: **Jack is 12 (6th grade); Hiccup is 11 (6th grade); Emma is 9 (4th grade)

* * *

**Chapter 13: Everlong**

**September 6****th**

**Orientation Day**

* * *

The morning of September 6th was a rainy one, but to Jack it was as full of promise and sunshine as the day before.

He pulled himself out of bed that morning (an hour and a half earlier than he did in 5th grade; what a drag…) with a skip in his step and a grin on his face. He hopped across the room and tugged on a red long-sleeved shirt, as well as a faded pair of blue jeans, peeking over at the window with a smile. In the adjacent window, Hiccup wobbled to his desk and slid a pair of new books into his backpack before readjusting his prosthetic. Jack found himself smiling again as the younger boy shuffled through his routine. He had the _dorkiest _green sweater on, that Jack could have _sworn _used to swing low enough so that his freckled shoulder nearly hung out, but today it hugged his sides rather snugly and securely clung to his shoulders. His hair was still messy (he must have showered the night before since it spiked in awkward places and the ends of his hair curled unevenly) and his cheeks were slightly flushed. Jack found himself smiling again as the younger boy distantly shuffled through his routine.

Hiccup was coming back to school again, and Jack was ecstatic.

He hadn't seen his schedule yet, so the idea that his friend could be returning _and _sharing classes with Jack was all the more exciting. Swallowing the bubble of excitement creeping up his throat, Jack skipped into the hallway and halted when he remembered he wouldn't have to wake Emma up anymore. She had an extra hour and a half to sleep now that he was waking up at 6am to catch a bus around 7:15. Despite his going to classes for the past three weeks, he couldn't quite adjust himself. His mornings with Emma and North would be pushed to the weekends now, and it was _really _weird waking up to an empty kitchen. There was no breakfast on the table when he hobble down the stairs, so he fixed himself a bowl of Cheerios and sat down to watch cartoons for a while. Around 7am, he slung his backpack over his shoulder and grabbed his blue-and-white striped umbrella and shuffled out the front door, lingering on the porch for a while and glancing over at the house next door.

At 7:04 am, Hiccup finally emerged from the house. He stumbled out and Mr. Haddock followed, patting his head and mumbling something (his voice was loud, but not loud enough for Jack to hear) before heading back in. Hiccup lowered his head as he left and plopped himself down on a nearby bench, twirling his own umbrella in his hands nervously. Jack's smile wavered. He looked just as nervous as he did in the third grade.

Without really thinking, the eldest boy called out to him. "HEY! HICCUP!"

Hiccup jumped a bit (making Jack snigger, the little dork) and turned his head, scooting forward on the bench so he could stand. Jack waved at him, and the boy's expression softened a bit. "Hey Jack!" he called back, voice drowned out slightly by the pitter-patter of rain.

"You excited?"

Jack _thought _he saw Hiccup shrug, though it was tough to distinguish his friend's form from the shadows of the porch as the rain picked up. "I _guess_ so!"

"Well don't sweat it, squirt," he yelled, "I'll body guard you!"

"Uh… _what?_"

"Ugh…" he pinched the bridge of his nose with a huff. "I'll tell you on the bus, okay?"

"Okay!"

The bus arrived at 7:15 on the dot, and Jack walked across the yard to make sure Hiccup got to the bus alright. They folded their umbrellas back up and scurried up the bus's steps (Hiccup with a bit more difficulty, so Jack offered him a hand), plopping their bags in a separate seat so they could comfortably sit beside each other in the front. Hiccup slouched against the seat and stared out the window, while Jack kicked his feet and fidgeted wildly. "You're gonna like the middle school, Hiccup," Jack reassured him, a smile on his face as he turned to his friend. The boy didn't even look away from the window. "It's _huge_, but pretty nice. They've got lockers and everything!"

Hiccup nodded silently, his eyes still locked on the clouds outside. He looked so focused, as if he were searching for something in them but couldn't quite find it. "It was hard enough remembering which cubby was mine… now I gotta open a _locker?_"

"I'll show you a trick I picked up from a couple of the other guys," Jack knocked him on the shoulder and his friend _finally _turned to look at him. He grinned, baring his teeth. "Just shove a pencil in the lock, so then you don't have to put in your combination."

Hiccup raised an eyebrow. "Won't that _break_ it?"

"I don't _think _so. Just don't get caught doing it; the teachers get _really _mad if they catch you."

"Can't you just remember your combo like a normal person?"

Jack tapped him in the nose. "_Nope. _What fun would that be, anyways?"

Hiccup rolled his eyes, and Jack felt a twinge of joy settle in his belly. "Whatever you say, Jack…" He peered out the window again, eyes locking on the clouds as if they held the meaning of life or something. Jack didn't get why he was so focused on the rain; it rained like, _all _the time in Burgess. What's the big deal? He found himself staring out at it too, trying to search for whatever it was Hiccup seemed enticed by but finding nothing but raindrops gliding down the glass as the bus moved.

After what six stops full of awkward silence, Hiccup finally asked, "Do you think it's gonna storm?"

Jack was half-caught off-guard by the question and fumbled to register it quickly. "Er… it might. Why?"

Hiccup rested his head against the glass and shut his eyes for a minute, a tranquil look of reflection making its way across his features. "Dunno, just wondering."

Silently, they sat on the bus until it stopped in front of a large, beige building at the bottom of a hill. The chatter of other kids around them echoed across the bus's walls and boomed like thunder in their ears, drowning out any words they considered saying and providing an adequate soundtrack to their awkward little bus ride. Hiccup was focused on the clouds. He seemed so fascinated by their dark, somber surfaces and he traced the path of raindrops with his index finger on the glass as he idly stared at them, the fingers of his left hand curling into a timid fist.

Jack didn't get it. But some reason, he felt like that was a _good _thing.

* * *

Every nerve in Henrik's body was shaking.

The bus driver had made a note to let all the other kids off before him (so no one would accidentally push him over) so Jack hung back until it was alright for him to get out. He offered to carry his stuff but Henrik politely declined, and they carefully shuffled down the aisle, tugging on their backpacks with ease and descending the stairs in the front. The older boy skipped out before him and helped him over the curb, and Henrik mumbled under his breath about how glad he was the thing was sturdier than the temporary. If he'd hopped down in that dinky old think, it'd probably break under his weight. Not to say that he weighed too much, though. He hadn't even hit 5'1 (he had the… _displeasure_ of stopping at 4'9) and he only weighed about 65 pounds. Quite literally, he was all skin, freckles, and bones.

But his new leg was sturdier, enough to hold his scrawny form under copious amounts of pressure. So, taking a shaky breath, he wobbled down the sidewalk with Jack and they made their way toward the glass doors. Every clank of metal against the concrete shook his nerves a little more, and by the time they'd finally reached the main entrance (after weaving around the handicap ramp; Henrik was _not _in the mood for fighting with stairs) he could hardly take a step forward. His knees wobbled and his fingers dug into his palms tightly. Jack stepped forward to hold the door for him after closing their umbrella but the younger boy tugged on his sleeve. He turned to Henrik, an eyebrow raised and his expression laced with sincere concern. Henrik almost immediately let go of his sleeve and glanced down at his leg. "You okay?"

He shrugged. "Uh… well…"

Jack half-grinned, ruffling the younger boy's hair playfully. "Nervous, huh?"

"Kinda, yeah," he lowered his head, cheeks flushing a bit with embarrassment.

"Hey, it's no big deal," His hand moved to his shoulder and his lips curved more. "Kind of a big place, but I'll show you around."

Henrik nodded. He glanced down at his leg and noticed his friend's eyes follow him. Silence fell between them, and while he _wanted _to just go inside and get the day over with, he couldn't bring himself to move. His eyes darted between his leg and his friend's thoughtful expression. His eyebrows furrowed for a split second before he gestured towards the prosthetic with his hand.

"…I think it's kinda cool."

Henrik blinked. "Huh?"

"Your leg," he chuckled, though it _really _seemed like Jack was forcing himself to say something. "It's like your part robot, or a pirate or something!"

He wasn't entirely sure what that was supposed to mean, but Henrik found himself smiling at the comment.

Jack returned it sincerely and struck a ridiculous pose. "And I bet if you kicked someone really hard it'd hurt _really _bad…" He threw the younger boy a wink. "Ya' know… just throwing that out there."

The younger boy snorted. "Yeah, thanks…" He took a deep breath and reached for the door handle, pulling it open and stepping inside. Jack followed beside him closely, gripping his arm to rebalance him when the end of his prosthetic slipped on the wet floor. Henrik's eyes wandered across the foyer, skimming across the awkward tile-patterns on the floor and the light green trim running along the edges of the wall. Scattered posters and a large "Welcome" sign were plastered across the far one, where the walls forked into two separate hallways. A small, rectangular blue sign addressed the left as a passage to the gym, while the right hall was adorned with trophy cases and four large push-doors to the cafeteria. Henrik gulped a bit. This place was _huge!_

Jack led him through the right hall, and they swung a corner to follow the roar of wordless chatter. Through another pair of push-doors (held wide open by a few awkwardly placed chairs), a crowd of nameless faces clumped on a series of risers along the right wall. A few teachers stood along a raised hole in the wall (assumedly the theater stage) hidden by a thick red curtain. Stagnant heat and the _horrid _smell of sweat littered the air, immediately alerting Henrik that they'd been corralled into the gym for orientation.

The two boys shuffled across the floor (with a few angry "sit downs" from the teachers; _man _they were cranky!) and took a seat at the closer end of the risers. Henrik _desperately _tried to ignore the wide, confused eyes that locked on him and drifted to his prosthetic; he tried to focus on the senseless buzz of chatter around him in an attempt to deafen himself from hearing the whispers beside him. He swallowed thickly and clung to Jack's arm, earning a concerned glance from his best friend when he tugged at his sleeve again. The older boy simply patted his head and smiled at him, as if to say "It's alright" without saying much of anything at all. Henrik knew better than to believe that, of course, but it was thoughtful either way.

After ten minutes of shaky knees and roaring chatter, a rather large man in a suit (the principal, Henrik presumed) stood before the mass of rowdy kids and introduced himself. Henrik didn't really catch his name (he was more focused on the glares his leg was getting from a cluster of beefy-armed boys beside him), but he emptily listened to his welcome speech. A number of faculty members stepped up and introduced themselves as well, explaining what it was they did and what activities they had precedence over. None of them really caught his attention, but soon after they finished boring everyone (Jack was falling asleep beside him, the _dork_) they ordered everyone to organize themselves by order of class. The 6th graders would be filed to the left of the gym, 7th in the middle, and the ever-so-dominant 8th graders would stay seated.

Jack and Henrik shuffled to their cluster of kids, bumping into a few people in the chaos as a teacher led them out of the room and around the corner. They were escorted to the cafeteria for yet _another _introductory speech about the school and its clubs and activities; yet again, neither of the boys really listened and twiddled their thumbs out of boredom. Finally finished with her speech, the woman standing before them asked them to gather with their homeroom teachers so Jack and Henrik threw each other looks. The older shrugged while the younger grimaced at the idea of parting from his friend; Jack simply ruffled his hair and smirked, stepping into a group of strange boys ang girls. Henrik gulped. He turned to the sign with his teacher's name on it and gingerly stepped over.

As he neared the group, all eyes were on him again. A few girls (all three of them were kinda pretty, he had to admit) sniggered when he walked by, eyes darting across his scrawny form like a predator observing its prey before the kill. He could already _tell _they were staring at his leg and making comments, so he ushered himself to the _back _of the group and opted to hug the wall instead. There was no one he really _knew _in his homeroom, much to his dismay, and he let his back slide down the wall until his butt hit the floor. This year was going to _suck, _he could feel it.

"Hey, Henrik!"

A familiar voice caught his attention. He peeked up at the figure shoving past everyone and drawing nearer, and felt his tense body relax _immensely _when he caught a blonde braid swinging in the air. He held onto the wall for support as he stood again, and smiled at the girl before her. "Hey, Astrid."

"Long time no see!" Astrid smiled back at him, pushing her bangs out of her eyes. She placed her hands on her hips. "Looks like we got saddled into the same homeroom this year."

"Yeah," he chuckled awkwardly. "I don't think I know anyone here."

"I think the kids from the other elementary school came here too," she glanced around and Henrik noticed her waving at Jack. He shot her a lazy wave and returned to the teacher who was nagging him about something. Astrid turned back to him and glanced at the floor quickly, having to double-take when she noticed Henrik's leg. He gulped nervously when her eyes widened. "Your uh… y-your…"

He nodded, pursing his lips. "…Leg."

"Y-yeah."

"…heh…"

She cleared her throat (though Henrik had a feeling she really didn't need to) and crookedly smiled. It looked like Astrid was thinking _heavily _about something by the way she was staring at his leg blankly with a hand scratching at the back of her neck. After a moment of reflection, she finally nodded as if to affirm her own thoughts and glanced over at Jack again. Henrik followed her eyes until they met his again. "Well it's um…" she blinked a bit quickly. "_Different, _that's for sure."

"Y-Yeah, no kidding."

She glanced away and Henrik raised an eyebrow. Why'd she keep looking at Jack? Returning her attention to the boy in front of her, she sighed heavily and tucked a few loose strands of hair behind her ear. "Well, I guess that explains why gym was so _boring _in June."

He wasn't sure if he felt bad for pretty much ditching her or overwhelming happy she dropped the subject of his leg. "Heh… sorry."

"Oh well," she shrugged, smiling a bit as she held out a hand. "Well? Where's your schedule?"

It took a minute for the words to register in Henrik's head, but once they did he tugged off his backpack and dug through it messily. Finding it between an empty notebook and his black pencil pouch, he shot back onto his feet (stumbling a bit, but Astrid caught him before he could topple over) and handed it to her. Astrid gingerly took it and compared it to her own, smiling widely when her eyes skimmed closer to the right of the paper. "Well, the first half of the day might be a drag _but _we do have gym together again."

"Really?" he stepped over, peeking over her shoulder with a bit of difficulty (she must have grown; how long had she been taller than him?) and finding the block she was looking at. "Huh. Go figure." He skimmed his eyes across both papers and noticed another similar block set. "I think we've got L.A together too."

She smiled. "Cool."

Before Henrik could fumble for a response – and I say _fumble _because he wasn't entirely sure _why_ it was so hard to talk to her all of a sudden – their teacher gestured for them to follow her, so the two of them tucked their schedules into their pockets and filed out of the room. She brought them into a class room, where they talked about homeroom and their "responsibilities as 6th grades" until they were allowed about ten minutes to talk amongst themselves. Henrik – naturally – stayed within a close range of Astrid while she boasted about her summer with a couple of guys by the door. A few of them noticed him shying in his seat after the end of his prosthetic dragged along the floor with a loud _shccck_, and soon after a flock of people crowded around him, eyes wide and mouths agape.

He wasn't entirely sure _who _was talking to him or _what _they were asking, but a few girls tittered about _something _he couldn't make out in the roar of questions he was getting. Some taller, rather intimidating boys kept tapping at his prosthetic with the tips of their feet and asking if he was a robot king with a hidden army or something, and before Henrik could really get out a word someone else wondered how it worked. He didn't really get the chance to say much of anything with everyone bombarding him with questions but the slightest twinge of claustrophobia settled in his shaky bones when everyone kept crowding around him. He glanced over at Astrid as a call for help and she merely shrugged, smiling lopsidedly as faces obscured his view of her. The teacher had to disperse them herself, nagging them about respect and offering Henrik an apology on their behalf (he swatted it off like it was nothing, of course) before asking everyone to take a seat.

Henrik pushed his bangs out of his eyes after the teacher dismissed them to their respective first classes. Yeesh. It was like him having the _stupid_ leg was the apocalypse or something!

As they scurried out of the room (sniggering and chatting about his leg, no doubt) he stayed behind, since his teacher wanted to make sure he knew where his locker was and how to open it. He couldn't quite manage to pull it open the first couple of tries, but once he _finally _pried it open he tucked his books onto the lower shelf (the higher shelf was _far _beyond his reach, to his dismay) and neatly hung up his backpack on the loose hook. He peeked down at the schedule in his pocket quickly and wobbled down the hallway, glancing up at room numbers until he spotted the Math room around a corner.

A block was rather short, and his Math teacher was a _seriously _grumpy old woman who did nothing but fawn over his leg. She kept drawing unnecessary attention to him about it, making comments about how everyone needed to pull up their seats more so he could walk by, or just overall glancing at him at the _weirdest _points in her introduction. There was a kid with kind of scraggly black hair sitting beside him who kept glaring at him out of the corner of his eye (which looked… _yellow_ in the lighting, but a rather light brown when he turned his head) and sneering a bit when he gulped nervously. Between his _horrible _teacher and the tall kid sizing him up beside him, Henrik could _already _tell he was going to hate this class.

When he shuffled into the Social Studies room after, Henrik's focus was turned on two things: the first being Astrid, who was seated behind some half-conscious brunette with his head buried in the desk (how the _heck _was he sleeping if the class hadn't even _begun _yet?) The second were the bright blue eyes that fluttered open after Astrid smacked the back of his head, forcing Henrik to realize that sleeping kid was _Jack. _His best friend groggily shot him a wave, and the _greatest _relief rolled down his spine when he realized he wasn't alone this block. As the teacher hurried to the front of the class, Henrik sat himself beside Jack (earning him a smile that shifted into a yawn). Fortunately, their SS teacher's introductory speech was a lot more entertaining, and – though he couldn't really say the same for a certain sleeping Jack beside him – he actually found the topics they'd be covering this year moderately interesting.

Music class followed, and shortly after he filed into a puny classroom for Language Arts with Astrid; their teacher droned on and _on _about Civil War period literature, and while Hiccup would _usually _find it exciting, her voice was so monotone it dragged the entire idea down. Lunch was absolutely _disgusting _(Jack was utterly convinced their school was trying to poison them) and both boys were distressed to find the middle school had no play-scape or swing set. Just an empty blacktop beside one of the baseball diamonds (fenced in, naturally), a set of basketball hoops, and a couple of four-square courts. Since the aids forgot to bring out any of the balls to play with, Jack and Henrik opted to sit beneath a shady tree and talk.

Science was… er… _alright_, I guess, though Henrik found his teacher to be _extremely _eccentric. He wouldn't shut up about how much fun they'd have this year, and he seemed more excited about the labs than any of the students did – Henrik included. Also, he kept making smart remarks about how Henrik had to be the "master of science" since he was "basically part robot anyways" which drew attention to his leg (oh _great…_). Henrik simply shrugged it off and He eventually threw on a Bill Nye video when he ran out of material to cover. Jack showed up late for some reason (though Henrik was beginning to think he did it on purpose so he wouldn't have to listen to their teacher drone on) and plopped himself beside Henrik.

And finally, Gym class – or, rather, "physical education" since Henrik's teachers would _not _shut up about how a gym was a location, and phys. Ed was the class. It mostly consisted of awkward icebreakers (all of which Jack participated in eagerly and cracked as many jokes as possible) and unnecessary activities, such as the two laps they had to do around the gym's perimeter. Around twenty minutes in, Henrik was pulled aside by his teacher.

"Your father alerted the school of your situation, Henry."

"…it's Henrik."

"Rick, right." The old man placed a hand on his shoulder and sighed heavily, as if he were forcing pity to come. "Now I'd hate to see a potential athletic star sit an opportunity to shine out but… if anything we do is too heavy on your leg, feel free to sit out."

Henrik blinked. _None _of what had come out of the man's mouth made any sense but he nodded anyways. "Uh… alright. Thanks, I guess."

His teacher smiled at him and gave him a playful smack on the shoulder. And it didn't register in the boy's head that he messed up his name again until he was gone.

* * *

"What kind of a _lame_ teacher gives homework on the first day of school?!"

Jack groaned loudly, rolling his head back dramatically as his hair swooped back with it. He made his way down the 6th grade wing and felt his entire brain protest the idea of finishing homework when he got home. Seriously, though, who the _heck _does that? He hardly even knew his teacher's name, and now they were expecting homework from him? Not cool. Feeling the twinge of annoyance in his head throb and swell, Jack shrugged his bag strap over his shoulder more and rubbed his forehead. Hiccup strolled beside him quietly, but Jack could pretty much tell he was rolling his eyes without even _looking _at him.

"You only have to read like, _ten _pages," he snorted a bit at his friend's commentary. "It's _not _that big of a deal, you big baby."

The older boy shot him the dirtiest glare he could manage. "It's a _whole _ten pages. You know how much stuff I could do while _instead _ofreading 'em?" He threw his hands in the air wildly. "I could probably get the Mind badge in all that time!"

Hiccup scoffed. "There _are _pictures in the book, ya' know."

"Yeah, _boring _ones like… _lakes _or glaciers…" Jack groaned, dragging his steps as his head lolled back. "Hicccuppp they're trying to kill me…"

The younger boy laughed. "Oh you _poor _thing."

Before Jack could muster up a comeback to his friend's _horrendous _sarcasm, he felt something crash into his shoulder and topple him over. All he really caught was a glimpse of dark black and gray before everything spun and he was suddenly sitting on the floor. Someone spat at him, "Watch it, stupid" and he heard the clank of footsteps behind him. Hiccup's eyes darted to the distant figure, and went wide when he looked down at Jack again. He held out a hand. "You okay?"

Jack blinked. "…did I just get hit by a truck or something?"

"Not exactly," Hiccup sniggered as Jack swiped his hands down the back of his thighs to sweep off some of the dirt. The older boy exhaled loudly and continued down the hall, his arms folded across his chest. The buses were already waiting outside the front door, so they hurried down the steps and filed onto the bus (Jack helping up the steeper steps, of course). They shuffled into a random seat and plopped themselves down; Jack let his back slide down the back of it.

"This year's gonna _suck,_" he huffed, blowing his bangs out of his face. "I have like, _no _classes with you."

"…social studies?"

"…that doesn't count."

"Gym?"

"…_still _doesn't count."

"Lunch?"

"…_you're missing the point."_

Hiccup snorted. "You're just bummed summer's over."

Jack let his head roll along his shoulder so he could look over at his friend. "You're _not?" _

"Not really." He shrugged. "At least school's something to do during the day."

Was he _serious? _Jack blinked, his expression blanking when his friend looked over at him surely.

"…Hiccup you're so _weird_."

* * *

Like Henrik had predicted, a storm rolled through Burgess that night.

Fortunately for him, he was presented with enough time to toss his backpack on the living room couch and refill Toothless's food and water bowls. The sound of dry food hitting the metal bottoms must have caught the little dog's attention, since it only took _seconds _for him to hobble around a corner and wag his tail at Henrik's side. He yipped and dove for the bowl when he finally stepped aside; as his the metal end of his prosthetic clanked against the wooden stair steps, Toothless scurried alongside him and patiently waited for him open his bedroom door. Henrik sniggered.

The house was comfortably quiet for once, his father's absence at the time echoing across each wall but drowned out beneath Toothless's tiny yips and the snap of his jaw as he yawned quietly. Henrik sighed, scooping the little dog into his arms and gingerly placing him on the bed. He sat beside him and tugged off his prosthetic rather hastily, tossing it onto the carpet as he let his back sink into the duvet tiredly. It seemed to hug his scrawny spine and stroke his messy, auburn hair when he shifted his head enough; the tenseness in his muscles eased until he found himself pushing on the bedframe with his right leg so he could lie down further. After much shuffling and uncomfortable nudges to Toothless's side (who glared at him pretty nastily in response) Henrik allowed himself to close his eyes and drift between consciousness and the sweet allure of rest.

His eyes snapped open when the insides of his eyelids lit in a flash.

Listening closely, the rain was starting to come down heavier; upon peeking over he could _hardly _make out Jack's window through his own (_man _it was pouring) and the sky was composed solely of falling dashes and dark, dreary grays. He jumped slightly when thunder roared distantly (10 seconds away, he subconsciously counted) and the dog beside him whimpered loudly. A familiar nausea slowly formed in the pit of his belly, so he closed the curtain hurriedly (kneeling with a bit of difficulty to do so; _man _that hurt!) and tugged his comforter over his small form until it covered his face and trapped him in a warm, plush darkness.

Through a small crack between blankets, light flashed again. His heart sank and the nausea in his stomach flourished obnoxiously. Toothless shifted beside him, so he curved his body a bit to cuddle around him. Seconds passed like hours until the symphony of thunder returned to its precarious perch in the air. Henrik covered his ears. Each clap was _louder_, nearly _deafening. _Claps of thunder that ricocheted through the room grew murderously loud, its complementary lightning sending flashes before Henrik's _tightly _shut eyes he _desperately _tried to avoid.

His fingers were digging into the sides of his head at this point. Tears poured down his cheeks like the relentless rain outside his window, and fearful cries melted into the cruel melody of thunder that inconsistently fell into a series of staccatos. Keeping his head beneath the sheets for so long was slowly painting every crevice of his body with a light sheen of sweat, but Henrik didn't care. He was so focused – and trying so hard _not _to be – on the roar of thunder torturing him.

He was so focused on the clap of thunders that clashed in the air like metal against metal, and lingered about the air like the squeal of tires against asphalt and teasingly melodic sirens blaring in his eardrums.

For a split second, Henrik actually _wished _his Dad was home. He wished for senseless chatter flooding his ears, or the buzz of North and his Dad talking downstairs to echo up the staircase and through the hall. He wished the rain would stop and Jack would magically be beside him to tell him some trivial story, or his Mother would somehow revive and walk into the room to comfort him. He wished Toothless wasn't asleep and he wasn't so _alone_. Sure enough, the rain slowly let up and the storm gradually passed as the afternoon sped by.

As his heartbeat slowed, he felt sleep beckon him closer and closer.

* * *

_Tap, tap._

Henrik woke up _completely _out of it, so groggy his mind could hardly determine if he'd imagined the tiny taps against his window. He indignantly sat up, letting his comforter drip off his torso like liquid comfort and he stretched his arms out, his spine following the movement. He peeked over at his clock, and groaned internally when it read 7:28pm. Great. Now he'd be up all night.

_Tap, tap, tap, tap._

With a louder huff, he slid his leg(s) from beneath the duvet and let them dangle over the edge of his bed, tugging on his prosthetic with a bit of difficulty (he _actually _managed to put it on backwards, the idiot…) before shifting a bit to place weight on both leg(s). Henrik slowly stood and strided toward the window, stumbling rather drunkly with each step until his fingers curled around the curtain and he pulled it back. His vision still groggily regained its sharpness, and it took him a moment to distinguish the blue and brown blobs in front of him.

A white crescent crept along a lighter tan and Henrik just _barely _registered it as a smile. And then a voice; a familiar, comforting voice that eased the tension in his shoulders and put his wandering thoughts at ease. "Hey, Hiccup."

Henrik sighed. "Jack, what are you doing here?"

The older boy scratched the back of his head sort of awkwardly and grinned crookedly. "What, I can't come over to say hi to my best friend?"

"…you _seriously _just climbed over to say hi."

Jack chuckled nervously. "Y~ep."

Henrik had half a mind to smack him. Was he brain-deador something? The roof was wet, and he probably could have slipped and cracked his head open or something, yet here he was; feet bare, hair a spiky _mess, _in his red shirt and his rolled up jeans with the _stupidest _smile on his face. Jack was an idiot, there was no doubt about it. But on the other hand, seeing his friend's face after the storm brought him the oddest sense of comfort. It was as if Jack had heard his awkward thoughts and came over as if Henrik had called him. So really, Henrik couldn't quite decide if he was mad at his friend for being _stupid, _or if he should thank every god his Mother taught him about that his friend was here. He found himself laughing without really meaning to, earning a confused glare from Jack. He brushed his bangs out of his eyes and the stagnant nausea in his belly melted into the tickle of laughter.

"Jack, you're so _weird."_

* * *

**Author's Note: **Sorry this one was a little slow; I needed to knock things down from overwhelming feels to simplicity again, so we can get things going. Thank you for the reviews and follows, still love you guys and things will be picking up sooner or later. Surprises (mostly for Jack and a few for Hiccup) are in store! 6th grade probably won't be too long. There's only two main plot points I have for it, so… short year. And then 7th grade will come and antics will begin, I swear it!


	14. My Girl

**Author's Note: **I… have less plans for 6th grade than I thought. This grade will end pretty soon, mostly because I need to get to the 6th grade summer. Admittedly, this is another slow one but it sets things up for an upcoming arc that'll probably start in two chapters (after the next one, of course). Next chapter introduces a character who will return for a more serious arc later on. We're covering Emma more with this chapter, since she's a sweetie and I haven't gotten a chance to do much with her yet. Her relationship with Jack is _crucial _for later.

**Basic Overview: **It's Emma's birthday, and Jack is stuck at home during her birthday party.

**Point of View: **3rd person: Jack

**Warnings: **General goofiness, but nothing bad. Hicstrid warnings start now, it's not too bad this round(sorry to the handful of folks I _know_ are glaring at the screen right now.)

**Age Reminder: **Jack is 12 (6th grade); Hiccup is 11 (6th grade); Emma is turning 10 (4th grade)

* * *

**Chapter 14: My Girl**

**November 21****st**** (Sunday)**

* * *

There was a morning every year when – no matter _how _early Jack woke up to avoid it – Emma would bounce off the walls.

He woke up at 8am as usual to grab some breakfast from the kitchen (permitting North was awake at the time) and catch his morning cartoons, with a black-and-blue striped turtleneck warmly hugging his lean sides and a faded pair of dark-brown jeans tightly squeezing his hips with a black belt. Chestnut spikes reached for the sky with gel-clumped tips messily tossed across his scalp. Jack's eyelids sunk low over his eyes. A groggy wobble followed each of his steps through the kitchen as he fumbled for a bowl of Lucky Charms; he hadn't particularly slept well the night before, and when he finally managed to keep his eyes closed for an extensive period of time he dreamt he was getting chased by a giant version of Toothless.

So to say the _least, _Jack was pretty tired.

But his hazy disposition failed to change Emma's yearly routine of bellowing a loud, "_Hooray!" _from her bed upstairs. He peeked up at the ceiling as if he could see through it and smiled to himself when the creak of her bed frame rumbled above him. The mattress springs creaked and he snorted a bit when it registered in his head that Emma was jumping on her bed. Heavier footsteps followed from the ceiling above the living room and trailed above Jack, followed by – who he could only _assume _was – North yelling at her to be careful. He found himself choking on a spoonful of cereal, laughter spurting out behind coughs when he could _hear _Emma groaning with disappointment. It wasn't much longer until he could hear his adoptive father's rumbling laughter and Emma's giggles coming down the stairs. Jack smiled.

Sure enough, North was swinging the corner with Emma tossed over his shoulder, who thrashed and laughed wildly with every bounce in the old man's step. As they finally made it into the kitchen, North finally placed her back on the floor, kissing her cheeks rather loudly beforehand. The action earned him a roll of lively, chocolate eyes and a slightly annoyed "Daaadddd…" laced with a groan. Jack snorted. Despite his disdain for being awake at the moment (_man _he was tired…) he found his mood cheering alongside Emma's excitable laughs.

His younger sister took a seat beside him and smiled widely. "Morning Jack!"

He gulped down another spoonful of cereal and turned to face her. "Mornin' Emma."

"Guess what day it is?"

Jack eyed her for a moment, noting the satisfied little smirk across her face begging him to acknowledge her coming of age. A smirk of his own crept along his lips. "Hmm… Sunday?"

"N~ope!"

"You sure?" he challenged. From the corner of his eye, he could notice North choking back a laugh by the fridge. "Coulda' _sworn_ the calendar said it was."

"Nuh-uh!" Emma shook her head, chin raised proudly. "Try again!"

"The 21st?"

At the mention of the date, the young girl spun her head a bit, her bangs crashing into her eyes messily. "_And?" _

"…laundry day?"

Emma huffed and stood, skipping over to smack him in the arm playfully. Jack snorted in response and swatted her back. "It's my _birthday, _stupid!"

"Well that can't be right," He teased, pinching her nose with his index finger and thumb. "Your birthday was _last _year."

She merely rolled her eyes and smacked him in the back of the hand, forcing him to pull it back with a dull 'ow'. The young girl skipped across the floor until she was at her father's side and let her neck stretch so she could look up at him. The old man chuckled, and Jack took the last few bites of cereal into his mouth before walking over to place his bowl in the sink. North turned to him with a smile, and as Jack turned and met it he stumbled back a bit. "I am guessing Henrik will be over today?"

Jack blinked. Was that even a _question _anymore? "Err… probably, why?"

North opened his mouth to speak but Emma interjected proudly, "Cause my friends are coming over later for the party, and well…" she tapped her lips with her finger and thought for a moment. "Not to be mean or anything, but I don't want you to 'boy' up the party again."

"_Again_?" He raised an indignant eyebrow, crossing his arms. "When have I _ever _done that?"

"Well last year you kidnapped Jamie –"

"It's not _my _fault I'm awesome."

"—_and _the year before that you stuffed birthday cake down Pippa's shirt –"

"She _started _it when she called me stupid!"

"—_and _there was that one time you got in a fist fight with Claude."

"That was – "Jack paused, recalling just how meaningless the entire scrap really was. He couldn't even remember _what _they were fighting about, but he _did _remember nearly winning before North plucked him out of the room. The older boy glanced away, his eyes narrowing with the bitter realization that Emma had a point. "…yeah okay. So what, I'm on probation or something?"

Emma blinked, clearly not understanding. She glanced up at North with wider eyes as if to ask for help, so he smiled and placed a hand on the girl's head. "She thought you would be less… err… _accident-prone _if Henrik were around."

Jack snorted. Something about the way North had worded himself wasn't quite right. "_Hiccup _is supposed to make me _less _accident-prone? Have you _met _him?"

"Then I take it you would rather sit with Emma and friends until eight?"

He shuddered at the thought. _Last _time Emma had her friends over all they did was gush over some Disney princes and giggle about god-knows-what. Pippa kept trying to drag him into some dumb game they were playing; not to _mention _that Cupcake kept giving this really awkward look whenever he walked by, so he ended up having to flee into his room. Suffice to say that Jack didn't go downstairs very much that fateful afternoon. "So uh… what time's Hiccup coming again?"

"Should be only little while," North chuckled, ruffling Jack's hair as he strided out of the kitchen. "That is, _after _you help clean up the house."

Jack groaned. "Do I _have _to?"

North gestured toward Emma, who threw Jack a devious little smirk that said "Get to work".

* * *

If Jack had to describe setting up in two words, he'd reserve "pink" and "tedious" for the occasion.

Emma _insisted _on streamers in the living room, and – _naturally _since Jack was the taller one – set her older brother to the oh-so-exciting and not-irritating-at-all task of hanging them on the ceiling. After blowing through two rolls of tape – most of it tangling together or to Jack's skin after twenty _frustrating _minutes of unwinding – and forming callouses on the balls of his feet (the damn step stool would only grant him so _much _height) he _finally _got them up the way his sister wanted. She cheered and gave him a pat on the back for his efforts, and soon after they teamed up to push the couch closer to the wall so her and her friends would have more room to play.

North stepped out for a while to go pick up the cake – and thank _god _he was buying it this year – leaving Emma and Jack to man the fort for all of ten minutes. Jack's natural instinct was to claim the right to lead, but Emma automatically gained the divine birthday-right, so for ten minutes Jack was to address her as "Princess Emma North of Burgess" (yes, the _entire _damn title _every _time he needed her) while he played the role of her loyal subordinate. She shoved him about and shot out orders when she needed something done, waving the broom in her hand like a mighty king's scepter. He followed her commands without question, rolling his eyes when she spoke with a rather _ridiculous _voice but completing his chores nonetheless. When North came home he sighed with relief, for their _true _monarch had returned!

Together they carefully laid out plastic utensils and paper plates on the kitchen table, while Emma cut out paper crowns from construction paper. Once her desired set-up had finally been achieved, the three of them waited patiently in the kitchen for the doorbell to ring, chatting idly and listening with smiles as Emma boasted about her finally turning the "big two digits". Sophie and Jamie showed up around 11:30am, and so began Jack's wait for Hiccup to get there. He assumed he'd be over as soon as possible – he lived next door _anyways_, so it wasn't like he had to factor in car rides or anything like that – so he sat down on one of the staircase steps with his elbow resting on one knee.

The first of Emma's friends piled in at around noon, all of their parents greeting North with loud chatter that Jack didn't really pay attention to, and every one of her friends greeted his younger sister with a tight hug and a loud "Happy birthday!" while he sat on the staircase. One by one they piled in, and Jack shuddered rather crudely when Cupcake was staring at him again with the same awkward look as last year. Now with any other kid in his class, he'd probably just ignore them, but North always told him to be nice to girls, no matter how much he disliked them; so he shot her a lazy wave and pressed his lips into a thin line, earning an eager wave back and a wide, toothy smile. Emma's friends ended up crowding around her, and at one point they flocked around Jack and pestered him. Jack threw his sister a glare and she merely shrugged.

Hiccup didn't pop in until 1:00pm, and when he finally wobbled through the front door Jack was so relieved he probably could have _kissed _the dork. He shoved through the crowd of younger kids and hurried over to his friend, nearly toppling the boy over when he pulled him into a hug. Hiccup's entire body stiffened at the contact.

"Hicccuppp!" he whined, tightening his hold on his friend's smaller form. "Save me from Emma's dorky friends!"

The younger boy snorted, wiggling out of Jack's arms with a smile. "Oh no, what'd you _do_ to them?"

Pippa crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow, elbowing Emma in the arm. "Is this that Henrik guy you keep talking about?"

Both of the older boys peeked over, throwing the birthday girl questioning glares as her cheeks flushed bright red. Before she could get out another word, the other kids cooed with amazement. They stepped toward Hiccup and a couple of their jaws dropped while their eyes lowered to his leg. The younger boy stepped back a bit, cowering behind Jack slightly.

"Whoa!" Caleb gushed. "He looks like a _cyborg!_"

Pippa scoffed. "Cyborgs don't have peg legs, Caleb. _Obviously _he's a pirate."

"No _way_, he's a total robot-boy!"

Cupcake even chimed in, staring at Hiccup at an uncomfortably close range. "He doesn't _look _like a robot…"

"They're not _supposed _to look like robots, you big dummy," Sophie shoved past her, nudging her away from the boy so she could look at him herself. She pushed her blonde bangs out of her eyes and her lips curved into a smile. "Aw! Look at his freckles; they're just as cute as Emma said!"

"_Sophie!" _Emma groaned, lazily punching her in the arm. Her friend merely sniggered and she stared at the ground, _clearly _embarrassed.

Jack swatted away the kids crowding around Hiccup and sighed. "Who knew you were such a popular guy, Hiccup?"

"Hiccup?" Pippa repeated, sniggering a bit. "Aw, is that his nickname?"

Cupcake cooed. "That's _adorable!_"

"He's tiny like a hiccup too!" Claude commented.

"No _wonder _Emma likes him so mu—"

Emma interjected, "_Stop it, guys!" _

Jack found himself laughing with them, though when he peeked over at his friend, he seemed pretty flustered amongst everyone's comments. Hiccup's fingers had curled into fists like they usually did when he was nervous, but hung at his sides contrary to his usual anxious body language. Jack smiled at him, and his friend returned it before the older of the two stepped forward and crossed his arms, approaching Emma with a challenging smirk. "Alright squirt, Hiccup and I are gonna hang out upstairs. Don't get _too _crazy, 'kay?"

"No promises!" Jamie commented.

Emma threw him a glance and Sophie elbowed her older brother. "Will you come down for cake and stuff?"

"No, I'm just gonna let you and _Pippa_ hog all the cake," Jack teased, giving Pippa a devious side-glance. The girl's eyebrows furrowed. "Yeah, we'll be down in like… an hour or something. Just come get us when it's time, I guess."

"Alright!" she motioned for her everyone to move into the living room, a smile across her face. "We're having a Twister competition, guys! Loser has to be my butler for the rest of the party!"

With that note, everyone hurried through the archway and swung the corner. Emma started for the living room along with her friends (all of whom were boasting about how they were _totally _gonna win by teaming up on Jamie) but stopped mid-way, running back to give Jack a tight hug beforehand. She was relatively short, so her nose hit the middle of his chest and her arms sort of awkwardly squeezed the middle of his back. He hugged her back nonetheless, and she smiled up at him before scurrying off to play with her friends.

Jack spun on his heel to turn to Hiccup, bowing a bit as he gestured toward the staircase before them. "Shall we?"

Hiccup snorted and elbowed him in the gut before grabbing the rail and stepping up carefully. Jack made sure to keep the same pace.

* * *

Jamie found his way to Jack's room later on during the party, so the three of them lazed around for a good two hours.

Jack brought out a couple of his comic books, which ultimately resulted in an _extremely _heated debate over who would win: The Hulk or Superman. Hiccup even threw his two cents into the argument, claiming it "didn't matter who'd win because Nick Fury would probably kill them before they could even _start _the fight." Suffice to say, he won that one and the three of them turned to other means of entertainment. They opted to link up their Gameboys for a while for a Pokémon tournament. There was a considerable amount of yelling and cries of "Are you serious?!", but Hiccup ultimately came out the victor with his team of Dragon-types (bless him for having the patience to train them) and his _unholy _stash of Full Restores.

Of course, Jack wasn't a force to be trifled with. Hiccup and he had re-matched about five times before he finally threw in the towel and accepted his defeat – earning a rather _devious _smirk from his freckled friend. Jamie laughed with each loss, fiddling with his own game in between matches. Around 4 in the afternoon, they found themselves bored again and lay on the floor, staring up at the ceiling. They took to playing Never Have I Ever, with Jack throwing out the most _ridiculous _notions while Hiccup took a more _specific _approach in attempts to knock both of them out before him. His strategy was _particularly _aimed at Jack, who only grew increasingly irritated with every turn.

About mid-way through the game, Jack hit his _own _turn and everyone grew silent. He sat up and folded his legs Indian-style, turning to Hiccup with a sly grin. "Never have I ever had a crush on Astrid."

Just as he intended, the boy _immediately _threw him a dirty look while his cheeks flushed a bright pink. Jamie cocked his head to the side as he sat up as well. Hiccup soon followed. "I don't think I know who that even is."

"Girl in our class," Jack informed him rather lazily, his gaze focused on Hiccup's flustered expression. "_Right_, Hiccup?"

He narrowed his eyes. "I _don't _have a crush on her. She's just really cool."

"Yeah right," Jack rolled his eyes, elbowing Jamie and nodding toward his friend with a chuckle. "You gotta see the _look _he gives her during Social Studies, it's _hilarious._"

Hiccup jumped. "I-I don't give her a look!"

"You _so do!" _The older boy's laugh crescendoed. He thought back to the dreamy expression on Hiccup's face he'd caught on Friday and mimicked it, letting his lips curve into a _ridiculous _smile while his eyebrows curled upward and his eyelids sank. As if to add to his _brilliant _mimicry, he added a long sigh.

The younger smacked him in the arm a _lot _harder than Jack would consider playful. "Knock it off, I do _not _make that face."

"You totally do."

"Do _not."_

"Do too~" Jack practically _sang _with a smirk. "Admit it, dork, you _like _her!"

His cheeks flushed, and for some ungodly reason Jack liked how it looked. It darkened the freckles on his face and the pout on his face was absolutely _adorable. _Hiccup was _full _of funny reactions, Jack found. The younger relinquished his sour frown and crossed his arms, turning a bit so he was looking away from the older. "So what?"

Jack grinned at his friend's admittance. "I _knew _it. You gonna ask her out?"

"Out for _what?" _Hiccup blinked, returning his gaze to his inquiring friend.

"A date, you _dork._"

Hiccup flustered. "Er… probably not."

"Why not?" Jack's smile fell a bit. "Isn't that like… the _point _of liking people?"

The younger shrugged. "I _guess._"

"Eww…" Jamie scoffed from aside, mock-vomiting a bit. "You're not gonna _kiss _her are you?"

"_Heck _no he's not!" Jack interjected, expression shifting seriously. "Ick, then he'd get cooties…"

Hiccup rolled his eyes. "Are you _still _on that?"

"There's no such _thing _as cooties, Jack. Even _I _know that." Jamie snorted.

"Hey, cooties are the real deal, I'm telling 'ya!" He crossed his arms and huffed, standing with his hands on his hips to tell his tale. "I'll have you know that in the second grade, a girl kissed me on the cheek and no less than a week later, I got the chicken pox!"

Jamie's jaw dropped. "No way!"

Hiccup didn't seem quite as impressed. "Probably because she _had _the chicken pox, ya' doof."

"Nope," Jack raised his chin. "Cooties."

He peeked over at his friend and joked back a laugh at the way he was rolling his eyes. Jamie jumped in, "What even _are _cooties anyways?"

"_Not _fun, I can tell you that much," Jack sighed, recalling the _horrible _week he spent with the chicken pox. "It's itchy and you gotta take like, a _ton _of baths…"

"I _still _think you're being a baby and she just gave you chicken pox."

"Well no one _asked _what you think, thank you very much," he mocked, sticking out his tongue a bit as he plopped himself down on the bed. "And quit tryin' to distract me; you asking out Astrid or what?"

Hiccup shrank back a bit. It was sort of weird, like someone flicked a switch and all his sass just magically turned off, reverting him to his usual, flustered self. He fidgeted a bit. "I-I told you, I'm not gonna do it."

"Well why the heck _not?" _Jack huffed, finding his friend's sudden shyness a bit irritating. "If you wanna do it, just do it and get it over with; simple as that."

"She's gonna laugh at me."

"Who, _Astrid?_" he thought for a minute and somehow found truth in Hiccup's fear. "…well, probably, but don't let _that _stop you. I say go for it."

Hiccup raised an eyebrow. "Even at the risk of cooties?"

Jack had to think about that one. He responded, "If it's something that makes you happy, why not?" and shrugged. "You can't wait around forever, ya' know."

"I guess…" he sighed, sitting beside his friend. Jamie climbed up onto the bed too, kicking his feet as the dangled off the edge. "Ugh… I dunno. I'd do it if I wasn't so sure I'd die before I could get a word out."

"You're not gonna _die, _stupid. Just walk up to her be all like," he put on a deeper voice and puffed out his chest sort of stupidly. "Hey Astrid, wanna get an ice cream with me?"

Hiccup snorted. "I'm _not _doing that."

"Well maybe not that _exactly,_" the older jested, elbowing him in the arm. "But ya' gotta woo her _somehow._ Find your angle, I guess."

"My _what?_"

"Your angle," he repeated, thinking back to how one of his favorite TV shows had explained it. "Ya' know, the way you're gonna talk and act to catch her attention."

Hiccup thought for a minute. "…is awkward and stupid a good angle?"

"If you know how to use that, sure I guess. Don't force yourself to be smooth, it's gotta come natural."

"How do you know this stuff if you don't even _like _girls?" Jamie asked, scratching his head.

Jack smiled. "I watch TV."

Hiccup scoffed. "Because TV is _such _a reliable source…"

"Look, I've never really dealt with this 'crush' crap before," Jack sighed, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. "So I don't really know much about girls or anything like that, but… I dunno. You can't keep focusing on all the bad stuff that _might _happen. Ya' know?"

Hiccup gaped at his older friend, his eyes wide with curiosity. It seemed as if Jack's sudden seriousness had caught him off guard; a slight blush dusted his cheeks (though, given the conversation topic Jack wasn't too surprised) and his lips pressed into a thin, pink line. Jack smiled, throwing an arm around his bony shoulders.

"If you want something, ya' gotta go for it. Be a little stupid, maybe make a few mistakes, whatever ya' gotta do. You're not gonna get anywhere just waiting around for something to happen, Hiccup. You've gotta act before your shot at it goes away."

His friend remained silent, lips parting and pressing as he fumbled for something to say. "You think so?"

Jack squeezed his shoulder. "I _know _so, doofus. I'm living proof of it!"

Hiccup rolled his eyes.

"I mean, what fun would I be if all I did was bum around all the time?"

"Don't you _already _bum around?"

Jack's smile fell. "You know what I meant."

The younger simply laughed, and shortly after their exchange Emma and Sophie tapped on the door excitedly. All of them hurried down the steps and swung into the kitchen, crowding around the table enthusiastically as Pippa flickered off the lights and North lit the candles on the cake. As the kitchen filled with song and laughter, Jack tugged his sister into his arms from behind and held onto her tightly. He took a moment to appreciate how much smaller she was, skimming his eyes along her form from his head's perch on top of her head for memory's sake. He smiled, pressing a kiss to the top of her head and she blew out the candles.

Soon she'd be too big for him to hug like this.

Emma was _already _pretty tall for her age, about an inch above Sophie but an inch _below _Pippa. Her hair was getting longer, skimming the middle of her back stick-straight and a lighter shade of brown than it had been a few years ago. In the right lighting, he'd catch her hair reflecting an auburn color, though generally it was a light brown. If he looked close enough, Emma was starting to get the slightest show of hips; the thought of her growing anymore rolled a shudder down Jack's spine. If North was right, she'd be taller than him soon; like _hell _he wanted to look up at her to talk!

But the observation of gradual development in his sister was frightening, in a way, closely resembling the sting of picking at a scab; it was _there_, and the more he ignored it, the more it bothered him. Jack knew it'd be a long time before she was old enough to be on her own. He knew that there was no such thing as waking up as an adult out of nowhere, and that growth took a lot of time but that didn't seem to help him. Emma was growing up, and for some reason that _scared _him. The thought that one day their little family in Burgess would break and separate, that one day he'd wake up in his _own _house _without _his darling little sister or his jolly, adoptive father was… was… awful. He didn't like it. Emma was all he had left of his old and new life, and someday she'd be gone like his parents.

Jack grimaced a bit, shaking off his rather miserable thoughts to hold his baby sister a little bit tighter. Emma groaned in annoyance when he squeezed too hard and wiggled in his arms, her goofy laughter adequately drawing Jack's attention away; he plucked her out of the seat as North cut slices and swung her around a bit as she protested loudly. He placed her back on the floor afterwards, sniggering as she smacked him in the arm. North – of course – had him make up for the random burst by having him pass out slices to everyone, and when Emma opened presents it was his duty (and, by default, Hiccup's as well) to pick up the wrapping paper and throw it away. Jack had taken to sticking the bows all over Hiccup's face. Of course, he swatted them off soon after he'd stuck them and the two of them ended up in a ribbon war.

The excitement died down at eight, when Emma's friends all started going home during their round of Twister. Jack was nearly pretzel-knotted with Caleb by the end of the game, but fortunately his parents came to get him and Claude. As each of them left, they gave Emma a large, loud hug and scurried out the door; Jamie even gave Jack a high-five like the cool little dork he was. When the house was finally returned to its usually three occupants (plus Hiccup, of course), everyone took a deep breath and North sunk into the living room couch.

"Did you have fun, Emma?" he chuckled, rubbing at his temples with a slight smile.

The now 10-year-old giggled, hopping onto the old man's lap with a wide, childish smile. "A ton!" she giggled, bouncing a little. "Sophie won the Twister competition, and Pippa taught me how to do this _really _cool dance move and Caleb ate this _really _gross cupcake with carrots and ketchup and–"

Jack sniggered, nodding for his friend to follow him as he sat down on the couch beside them. "Slow down, squirt. I can hardly hear a word you're saying."

He felt the Hiccup plop down next to him and smiled, peeking over at him. Hiccup grinned back.

Emma glanced at Jack and choked back a laugh. "You had to see it, Dad; Jack played Twister with us too and Pippa got cake _all over _his face!"

"She did it on purpose, I'm telling ya'!" he shot back with a frown. "You saw her, right Hic?"

Hiccup snorted. "Yeah, yeah, _definitely _on purpose Jack."

"See! Hiccup saw it too!"

North roared with his own laughter, wrapping an arm around Emma's small form as she curled into his chest with a particularly loud yawn. He looked over at the boys with a smile. "Does your father want you home at particular time?"

"I-I don't think so."

Hiccup's smile wavered. Jack noted his shift in expression and interjected, "I'll walk him back in a little bit, no worries."

"Alright," North agreed, peeking down at Emma. Jack followed his eyes and found himself smiling at the sight. She was curled up against his chest, knees pulled up so her nose barely brushed against them. Her long, brown bangs messily overcast her eyes, obscuring her gently shut eyelids; she breathed rather quietly, chest rising and falling at a steady beat. North chuckled. "I will bring her to bed. She must be tired after party."

"No kidding," Jack shifted a bit and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I guess Hiccup and I are gonna hang down here for a bit."

North stood, carefully collecting Emma into his arms as he started for the stairs. "Good night, Jack."

He smiled. "Night, North."

* * *

Jack walked Hiccup home for show at 9:30, and they met up at the rooftops sometime after 10.

Jack was the first to step out, like usual, and he crept across the break to tap at Hiccup's window. His friend pulled open the curtain and tugged up the barrier glass, sticking his head out with a smile before glancing at the hole perplexedly. The older offered him a hand, which his friend eagerly took as he carefully stepped onto the platform. His prosthetic skidded a bit, causing him to yelp in surprise but Jack quickly caught him and helped him sidle down the slope. Towards the edge, they finally sat down shoulder-to-shoulder and looked up at the stars.

There was a chill that lingered about the air, blowing across their skin with a rather cruel breeze. Both boys shivered, so Jack crept back into his room and grabbed a fleece throw off his beanbag to wrap around their shoulders. The two of them didn't really talk much that night, but the blanket _really _helped. Idle chatter occasionally popped into the silence without lasting, so they embraced the silence of the night and simply took the opportunity to enjoy each other's' presences. Hiccup found himself sighing; it was becoming evident that school the next day would be an utter nightmare. Neither of them made a move to head back inside to sleep, so he mentally determined he wouldn't get to very much. Not that it was a problem, of course; he just feared his productivity levels dropping during school the next day.

And sometime around midnight, he wanted to ask Jack a question but found his words sinking in his throat. He couldn't quite figure out how he wanted to word himself, but it ended up not really mattering when he peeked to his right and noticed Jack had fallen asleep on his shoulder. Hiccup poked his cheek with his index finger. "…Jack?"

No response.

"…Jaaaacccckkkk."

He snored a little louder. Hiccup's head fell back. "Oh great. He fell asleep." He murmured to no one in particular, using his shoulder to nudge his friend's unconscious form. "Dude, we have school tomorrow. Wake up."

Jack shifted a bit, groggily mumbling, "Five more minutes…"

"Jack can't you just sleep inside?"

Silence.

"I'm serious, Jack."

More silence. Hiccup sighed, using one of his hands to brush his bangs out of his eyes. He had half a mind to shove Jack off his shoulder and head back into his room, but on the other hand Jack was really warm and he was comfortable. Sure, this was… _completely _weird but… well, he could deal with it for an hour or two before waking his friend up, right? Right.

…It was going to be a long night, wasn't it?

* * *

**Author's Note: **This ended up being a lot more dialogue than I intended. Thank you for your reviews and follows! Love you guys and I promise the antics will begin soon. I'll also apologize to the handful of folks who will be upset at the Hicstrid. It's _crucial_ to him and Jack's development, I promise you that.


	15. Your Worst Nightmare

**Author's Note: **My summer vacation started on the 4th, so expect more frequent updating! Remember how I said I was going to introduce a new character before the next arc? Yeah. This is _that _chapter. I'm sure by the title you can tell who that character is so I will say nothing except that next chapter we're going into Summer vacation, as well as an arc I've been excited to write since my friend Gina and I came up with it. Antics and partial feelings ensue _next _chapter, though this one sets us up for future events in more ways than one.

**Basic Overview: **Hiccup's never really been one for making friends too easily, and Pitch was no exception to that.

**Point of View: **3rd person: Hiccup/Jack alternation

**Warnings: **Hicstrid (again, nothing monstrous) and mild bullying.

**Age Reminder: **Jack is 13 (6th grade); Hiccup is 12 (6th grade); Emma is 10 (4th grade)

* * *

**Chapter 15: Your Worst Nightmare**

**June 6****th**

* * *

Henrik didn't feel like waking up Monday morning.

He rolled out of bed with heavy eyelids dragged down by another night he could _barely _get any sleep out of. It wasn't that he was an insomniac, or that he'd endured any horrendous nightmares; for some odd reason he kept waking up for no particular reason at random points in the night. Every time he found himself lying awake beneath the sheets, he sat up (stirring Toothless, much to the little dog's dismay), slid on his prosthetic as if he _actually _had some predetermined destination, and ended up pacing his room until he felt the _slightest _twinge of exhaustion make itself known. On one occasion, he'd actually had a reason to get up when Toothless needed to go out, so he slid on his prosthetic and took the little fur ball outside. By the time they got back inside, Henrik was ready to sleep for another year; but two hours later, the awakening cycle repeated.

Henrik groaned, rubbing his eyes with an _obnoxious _yawn. The sun shined just outside his window; illuminating the thin, green curtains until they were minimally transparent (he could make out the outline of the rooftops and the window frame itself) and allowing a generous amount of sunrise's light to grace his tiny room. It dusted the surfaces of furniture and drew hazy fabric-lines against the flooring. He reached over to tug it open and finally allowed the room to completely light up.

While he was reaching, he glanced at his nightstand and huffed when he noticed he'd forgotten to leave out his clothes for the next day. So, taking a moment to slide on his prosthetic, he wobbled across the room and tugged out a gray T-shirt with a green dragon on the front and a pair of khaki shorts. It didn't particularly take much time to get them on, but it was still annoying nonetheless.

Toothless was waiting for him by his door, tail wagging enthusiastically as their eyes met. Henrik sniggered, bending down to pet the little warrior before opening the door. Both of them scurried down the stairs (Toothless kept the same pace as Henrik, oddly enough) into kitchen, where he refilled the food dish by the fridge and made himself some toast. He peeked out the living room window (toast hanging out of his mouth rather lazily) and noted the absence of his father's car in the driveway. _I guess Dad went to work early. _He thought to himself with a sigh. Then again, it's not like it mattered if his Dad was there anyways; he'd be home alone either way.

When he finished his toast and freshened the water in Toothless's bowl, Henrik stepped into the living room to grab his backpack. He slung it over his shoulder and opted to wait for the bus on the front porch. Sitting down, Henrik peeked over at the house next door and noticed Jack wasn't out yet. He sighed. The dork was probably trying to sleep in as long as he could or something…

The sky was an unusual combination of grey and blue, its gradient rather dreary on one half of the sky while the other held the promise of daylight. Dark clouds obscured the sun with every gust of wind and roll of shadows, bringing a sweet reprieve from the Spring heat. The only sound about the air was the distant squeal of tires against asphalt and the usual chirping of birds. It seemed as if the hum-drum routine of every weekday morning brought about a certain silence to Burgess; it clung to every heart and home to hush any promise of noise. Not that Henrik minded, of course; if anything, he'd gotten _used _to the quiet since his mother had passed.

Henrik took a moment to appreciate the silence. It allowed him space to breathe and think, to let his thoughts wander and flutter with inquiries he was too busy to consider during the day. After a few moments of considering taking Toothless on a walk after school, he recalled Jack's little cracks about him asking out Astrid. The arguments his friend had posed were generally good ones, but the overwhelmingly large flow-chart of reasons for her to reject him shied him away from the idea. Yeah, Jack was right about the whole "It's good to make mistakes" thing, and I _guess _he had a point about seizing the opportunity but… the idea of getting shot down was pretty intimidating.

Now, don't get me wrong; Henrik wasn't a chicken by _any _means! He'd just… _really _rather not make a fool out himself more than he needs to. Besides, 6th grade was too _young _to date, right? He hardly _knew _Astrid aside from her name and her _insane _talent for spiking Volleyballs in gym cla—err… physical education. She was pretty, sure (_really _pretty, actually), and a while back she mentioned liking dragons, but what else did he have to go off of?

Henrik sighed, letting his face fall into his hands. It was situations like these he _really _wished he wasn't such a coward…

* * *

"You excited, Hic? There's only like, one more week of school left and then we're off!"

Henrik glanced over at his friend, snapping out of his daze at the sound of Jack's excited voice. He smiled lazily. "Uh… yeah. Pumped."

Jack's eyebrows furrowed. "Were you even paying attention to a word I was saying?"

"…not… really?" he grinned lopsidedly, earning a frown. "Er… sorry. I'm pretty beat."

"I'd say so," Jack sighed, poking the younger boy in the cheek with his index finger. He narrowed his eyes and leaned in close. "Yeesh! I can even see the bags under your eyes. You look like an old geezer, hehe. Don't tell me you're one of those insom…ni…_things_."

"Insomniacs," he corrected, turning his head to break his friend's close proximity. "And no, I just couldn't sleep too well last night."

The seat shifted, alerting Henrik that his friend had moved. He glanced over and noticed the reflective expression on his friend's face. "Maybe you're just excited or something."

"What for?"

Jack scoffed. "_Summer _you doofus! Camp? Any of this ringing a bell?"

Henrik had to think about that for a moment. He'd almost forgotten about it; some representative came to their school and had everyone bring home pamphlets to their parents. He initially didn't want to go, but Jack kept pestering him to at least _consider _it since he hadn't gotten out too much last summer. Normally it'd be pretty easy to get the older boy to shut up about stuff (considering he had the attention span of a squirrel, it didn't take much) but Jack would _not _stop bugging him. He even claimed that without Henrik at camp he'd "have _absolutely _no fun" and would "probably _die _of Hiccup-deprivation", the dork. Hadn't he ever heard of writing letters?

It took a lot of pleading and good grades to get his Dad to agree to it, though; after the accident, Sven was _extremely _hesitant when it came to letting Henrik go out. Maybe it was a protective instinct, or maybe it was his way of keeping Henrik cooped up so he couldn't get hurt but either way it was a _definite _obstacle. He only agreed after a long discussion with North (which Jack and Henrik shamelesslyeavesdropped on) under the condition that Jack keep a close eye on his son for the duration of the month they'd be away (he _really _stressed that, too). Jack – of _course _– eagerly agreed and well… that was the end of that.

Henrik blinked a bit, recalling the entire scenario clear as day despite his sleepy state. "Oh… yeah, that's right."

Jack crossed his arms in a huff. "Wow. How on _earth_ could you possibly forget our summer of fun?"

"Is _that _what we're calling it now?"

"Well when you just call it summer camp it sounds boring," the older shrugged. "Or weird, like one of those places you hear _gross_ stories about from the older kids."

"Oh jeez, have you been hanging around the 8th graders again or something?"

Jack grinned. "Nah. North had Elliot over the other day and when he brought up camp he kept going off about him and his lame friends pulling some stupid pranks."

"Weird," Henrik sniggered. "But it should be fun. Might be nice to get out for once."

The older smacked him on the back (a little too hard, I might add) with a chuckle. "That's the spirit! Summer of fun!"

"Quit calling it that, it's stupid."

Jack huffed. "_You're _stupid."

Henrik snorted, punching his friend in the arm rather weakly. "And you're _so _mature."

* * *

The boys strolled into school with smiles on their faces that morning, while the hallways buzzed with summer plans and excited squeals.

Clusters of girls around random lockers tittered with laughter and gossip, while gangs of punk-looking boys lingered around the water fountains and stairwells. A couple of stray faces wandered the halls and formed into wandering cliques, all of which Hiccup and Jack deftly avoided. The two of them didn't really pay anyone else any mind; the only presences that mattered were their own, and their idle chatter deafened them to the insignificant conversations taking place around them. Faces blurred and voices silenced comfortably as they talked, walking down the hallway together.

Time had granted Hiccup the pleasure of his classmates growing accustomed to his leg. No one really made comments about it anymore, and most of them had become quite courteous about it. If he stumbled around the classroom his peers would ask if he needed help (with the exception of a few rather rude kids), and his teachers weren't so _awkward _about it anymore (aside from his _nasty _Math teacher). He was allowed to walk down the hallway without glares or whispers or the nagging paranoia that he was the center of attention, and it was… just nice.

As they neared Hiccup's locker, his eyes caught an unusual glimmer of white dangling off the door. He peeked over at Jack, who merely shrugged, and when he neared it he found a wrinkled piece of loose-leaf taped up with a crudely scratched "FREAK" across the front. Jack could hardly get a good look at it before Hiccup tore it off and held in his hands, but the glance sufficed. His smile fell drastically, but it was _nothing_ compared to the look on Hiccup's face. He eyelids sank as if he were about to cry and his lips pressed into a thin line reminiscent of a frown. Jack had only seen that look on his face once before and the second he caught it again, he felt the slightest ache of anger spark in his head.

He _hated _that look on his face and he'd kick the ass of whoever caused it. Jack shook off his thoughts and grumbled, "…what the _heck's_ that?"

Hiccup jumped a bit, as if he'd forgotten Jack was even there. He crumpled the paper in his hand and cleared his throat. "N-nothin'."

Jack raised an eyebrow, placing a hand on the younger's shoulder and noticing how he trembled under his touch. "You sure? Didn't _look_ like nothin' to me."

"P-positive."

He sighed. "You're a _horrible _liar…" When he felt Hiccup relax a bit, he snatched the paper from his hand and held him back with his other so he could read it. The lazy scribbles his eyes met with only affirmed his previous glance at the page, and he found his temper flaring little by little. He glanced at Hiccup with narrowed eyes and pointed to the note. "Any ideas who did this?"

Hiccup shrunk back. "N-no."

"You _sure?_" Jack raised an eyebrow, crumpling the paper again and stuffing it into his pocket. "And _don't _lie to me."

"I'm sure. Look, i-it's not that big a deal, Jack," the boy averted his eyes, glaring at the floor as he fidgeted with his backpack's strap. "Probably just some stupid kid playing a prank, is all."

His shoulders sank a bit. "Hiccup—"

"You're gonna be late to homeroom if you don't hurry."

"Hic—"

"It's _fine_, Jack." Hiccup glanced up at him with a forced, crooked smile. One of his hands rubbed at the nape of his neck sort of awkwardly. "No big deal."

Jack's heart sank with his shoulders. He sighed, with no other choice than to trust his friend's judgment (no matter how _stupid _it was) as he stepped toward him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Alright. See you in a bit, 'kay?"

"Alright."

Jack turned to leave but he almost didn't want to. He bit his lip _hard _to prevent himself from saying anything and strided a little further down toward his locker. Tugging it open (with a bit of difficulty remembering his combo; the dumb teachers caught his pencil trick and yelled at him for it) he stuffed in his backpack and reached for his books for L.A and Social Studies. The look on Hiccup's face was _killing _him, but he knew if he'd stayed any longer the kid would probably just yell at him or not say anything at all. He was doing it again, wasn't he? Putting on a tough face, just like in the hospital… that stubborn little _dork. _Why wouldn't he just tell him how much it bothered him? Did he think he'd laugh or something?

Ugh. Hiccup was so _stupid _sometimes, Jack swore. He should have known by then that he wouldn't laugh at him, and if he did it wasn't a _serious _laugh; that's just the way Jack was. He never really _means _any harm when he makes fun of his friend, because half the time he's just trying to make fun in general; something to get the miserable doofus to crack a smile or laugh or _something. _You'd think after years of paling around together Hiccup would learn… Jack sighed, tossing the dumb loose-leaf into a nearby trashcan before stomping into his homeroom angrily.

Was Hiccup an idiot or _what?_

* * *

Henrik didn't want to go to math class.

He silently thanked and cursed whoever scheduled his classes for putting it first, since it got it out of the way as soon as possible but also forced him to endure 45 minutes of nightmarish long division problems. Not to _mention _his horrendous teacher and the _nasty_ kid who sat to his left. He had no idea _what _he did to piss off the guy so much, but for whatever reason he hated his guts (or at least he _thought _he did, since he really showed no signs otherwise) and always made sure to throw him the _worst _glares during class. Henrik usually liked math class, but after this year he'd grown a strong disdain for it.

When the homeroom bell rang, his heart sank to the bottom of his rib cage and he tugged his books into his arms with a hefty groan. He made sureto pace down the hallway as _slowly_ as possible, and when the teachers gave him quizzical glares as to why, he'd turn to them with an awkward smile and explain, "My leg is bothering me." They'd shrug it off and focus on the fleet of kids hurrying into the rooms instead. Henrik grinned. He never wanted to admit it, but being a cripple _certainly _had its perks.

Usually he'd beat himself up for being five minutes late to class, but in this particular occasion he had no problem with it. He wobbled into the room and took his seat as fast as he could manage while his teacher had her back turned (making _sure _she didn't see him come in) so she wouldn't make a scene about him showing up. After carefully sitting down and gingerly placing his books on the desk she turned to the class and – after double-taking at Henrik's sudden presence and shrugging it off – handed out a worksheet for them to work on while she got out her lesson plan.

Of course it was nothing _too _hard. A couple of difficult long division problems and a handful of fractions, sure, but other than that Henrik breezed right through it. When he finished, he peeked around and noticed a good portion of his classmates staring at the page blankly; _including _the kid next to him. He had half a mind to offer him help or something, but judging by the look on his face that _probably _wasn't the best idea. The teacher returned to the front of the classroom, and her lesson soon followed.

About halfway through class, she'd called on the kid next to her (Henrik wasn't paying attention to be honest, so his name was just a buzz in his ear) to come up to the board and solve a problem. He scribbled messily on the board and slumped back into his seat. Their teacher frowned.

"Well," she sighed. "Good _guess, _but not quite. You wouldn't be able to add these two fractions because there is no common denominator."

Henrik peeked down at his paper and raised his hand.

"Yes, Henrik?"

Eyes turned to him and he gulped before speaking. "Well uh… he had the right answer. I think he just might have copied the problem wrong."

"Oh, really?" she rolled her eyes, glancing at her own copy with a smug grin. When her eyes met the problem, it fell. "...actually he's right. Silly mistake, but good work. Thank you, Henrik."

He nodded, but when he glimpsed at the kid next to him, he could _feel _the daggers behind his golden stare (was it the _light _making his eyes that yellow or something…?) and as he returned his attention to his paper, he could have _sworn _he heard a lower voice grumble, "Know-it-all." Initially hearing it made him jump out of his skin but as class progressed the name engraved into his skull and his shoulders sank with each passing second. It wasn't particularly the _worst _thing he could have been called, but it was insulting nonetheless. And it _certainly _didn't help his quaking nerves that his classmate kept glaring at him. About mid-way through class he'd made some snarky remark under his breath when Henrik had gotten a question right and he could _feel _his pulse rising.

This kid wasn't even being that mean, but for some reason it was getting him so wound up it was unbearable.

The second bell _finally _rang and he ran out of the classroom so fast it'd put The Flash to shame. His Social Studies room was only a few rooms down, so he swung a few corners and rushed in as quickly as he could manage. He remembered hearing his teacher make some sort of comment about him needing to calm down, but he didn't particularly pay attention to it. Jack hadn't sat down yet, so he slammed his books on his desk and – without really thinking about it – hurried over to throw his arms around him. Sure, he could feel some of his classmates giving him weird looks and hear a few girls tittering about them being a "happy couple" or something ridiculous like that but it didn't really matter. He felt calmer now that he was with his friend and that was really all he could focus on for the time being.

…okay, so maybe that was _really _weird but whatever.

Jack stiffened a bit. "Err… Hiccup? You alright?"

Henrik nodded. He couldn't quite figure out what to say, and his mother _did _always tell him that actions spoke louder than words.

"…you uh… sick or something?"

He shook his head.

The older nodded himself, slowly and unsurely (he was probably weirded out but Henrik couldn't find it in himself to care) patting the younger boy on the back. "…ok…ay then."

He pulled back and took a deep breath, feeling his limbs slowly halt from their incessant shaking and his pulse ease to its usual pace. He wasn't entirely sure _what _about the situation had made him so tense but now that it passed it hardly meant a thing. He looked up at Jack and noticed the _extremely _confused glaze in his eyes. Henrik lowered his eyes to the floor. "Sorry."

"You're getting' weird on me, Haddock," Jack teased, sighing and patting his friend on the head. "What the _heck _was that for?"

Henrik gulped. "Nothin', I guess."

Before Jack could manage to get out another word, their teacher strolled to the front of the class and asked for them to sit down. They followed his instructions and Jack let his cheek fall into his hand with a smile.

"…you're so weird, Hiccup."

* * *

June 6th was… well, _not _a good day for Henrik.

He'd forgotten to do the reading for Social Studies, and – go figure – the _one _day he's not prepared, their teacher decides to give everyone a pop quiz. Effectively, he knew hardly anything on it (save for maybe two or three questions he remembered from watching the History channel at home) and probably failed. The rest of class was a bit of a drag considering all their teacher did was drone on and on about the outbreak of the Black Death in Europe; while Henrik would _usually _find it interesting, today he could hardly keep his eyes open to power through. When he looked over at his friend, Jack had already fallen asleep.

Music class followed, and that was probably one of the only reprieves from perpetual stress Henrik really had all day. Their teacher was too lazy to teach that day, so they were allowed a free period as long as she was allowed to play Mozart in the background. Her excuse was "at least then we can _pretend _you're learning something if the principle walks by", though no one really seemed to mind. He spent the entire period reading one of his books, and – for a solid 20 minutes before his classmates' random screaming woke him – got some decent shut-eye.

As usual, his Language Arts teacher _insisted _they read Shakespeare (something about how this generation needed to be "culturally educated") so he was forced to sit through an entire class of her yelling at the class to "look _past _the text to find the meaning" while no one really made _any _effort to understand it. She called on him numerous times and when he actually managed to decipher the ungodly line presented to him (something about a rose or a name or… something like that), she spent a good 15 minutes lecturing the others about how they needed to think like Henrik. He found himself shrinking back in his seat and Astrid threw him a smile. This, of course, only made him sink further and his cheeks burned brightly.

Lunch was crap, but that really wasn't much of a surprise anymore. He'd forgotten to pack his own that morning so he was forced to buy a box of the school's chicken nuggets. Jack wouldn't stop complaining about how they tasted horrible, and he even bounced one on the floor. No, you didn't read that wrong; it freaking _bounced _off the floor. Jack got yelled at, and… well, Henrik didn't eat too much afterwards. With good reason, though.

Recess was boring as usual, but he found Jack's company to be the highlight of his day. They spent a good duration of it complaining to each other and making snarky comments about their teachers. On their way in, the same nasty kid from math class shoved past Henrik, sending him hurtling backward. Jack – the clever one he was – managed to catch him, and Henrik shrugged it off before heading in. Surprisingly enough, _Jack _was the one who wouldn't stop complaining about it, saying that people need to learn to "respect the cripple" or something like that… the dork.

Science was… actually, rather interesting. Their class had moved on to a new unit about the solar system, so they watched a movie about the different planets and their moons. Most of his peers had fallen asleep for a good duration of the film, but Henrik was pretty invested in it. He found the different factoids fascinating, and when the narrator made a comment about the Earth's moon the first thing he thought of was Jack's story. Suffice to say, that put a smile on his face for the entire 45 minutes of class.

And then there was Gym class. Or… physical education. Whatever it's called. Point is, it sucked.

Henrik was invited by his teacher (who _still _couldn't get his name right, for whatever reason) to participate in class that day, so – despite how much he _really _didn't want to – he changed with the other kids and they partook in a game of Volleyball. Astrid was kicking some _serious _butt as usual, and Jack was holding up a good game on his end of the gym too. His peers insisted he served, so he shuffled to the back and fumbled to properly serve the ball a few times before _actually _getting a game going. The ball never really came back to his corner (thank the _gods _for that, too) so he wasn't a particularly _active _member of their team.

However, the _one _time it did it nailed him right in the face.

He stumbled back and ultimately ended up toppling over from the impact, his nose and eyes stinging from the blow. He could hardly manage to open them, and he used a hand to rub at his brows and the bridge of his nose with a groan. A flock of students crowded around him, and as he opened his eyes the room shook. Or… wait, that might have just been him. He could make out Jack and Astrid's concerned faces in front of him, but for whatever reason there were about 3 different Jacks and 4 Astrids.

"Holy crap," a higher voice (assumedly Astrid's) worried, "Henrik are you okay?"

"His face is_ so_ red." the lower commented, laced with laughter, though he _immediately _registered it as Jack's voice.

"Well _duh," _a punch in each of Jacks' arms followed. "He got nailed by a volleyball, idiot."

"Hey, hey, hey, this isn't the time to be insulting me," A laugh. "Besides, _Pitch _was the one who threw the dang thing. Not _me_." He whipped around and threw a distant, familiar face a _nasty _scowl. "Nice going, by the way!"

Henrik blinked. "Who?"

The Jacks returned their gazes to him and smiled. "Well lookie here; it can _talk_!"

"You alright, Henrik?"

"Of _course _he's not alright, stupid."

Another punch to the Jacks. "Oh, shut up."

A taller figure came into his wavering field of vision. "Both of you, quit your yapping and get him to the nurse. He doesn't look too hot."

"Got it," Jack affirmed, tugging one of his arms over his shoulder. "Up and at 'em, Hic."

Astrid held onto his other arm, and with their combined efforts Henrik was able to stand again. His legs wobbled beneath him, but his vision slowly regained so that the room wasn't shaking _quite _as much. The Astrids and Jacks returned to their respective persons, and the three of them hobbled down the hallway at a gentle pace. His prosthetic squeaked beneath each step, and he fumbled a few times (mostly because he wasn't paying attention) but his friends were quick to catch him before he could fall over.

"Yeesh, slow down doofus," Jack huffed, helping him regain his balance.

Astrid mimicked his movements on his other side as he steadied himself. "How are you holding up?"

Henrik glanced at her and his heart hit his ribs rather _hard _when he met her eyes. "I-I'm alright."

"Don't you think it's a little early to be making enemies?" Jack laughed.

He turned to him and blinked. "Enemies?"

"Pitch," Jack responded, his expression softening. "He uh… doesn't strike me as a fan of yours."

Astrid huffed. "Really? Where would you get an idea like _that _from?"

He threw her a glare. She stuck out her tongue. "The jerk's been harassing him all day, Astrid. Pushed him around during recess, too."

"Don't take it personally, Henrik," Astrid smiled at him, and he could have _sworn _his heart melted at the sight. "He's not worth your time anyways. Besides, he doesn't like _anyone_."

Jack narrowed his eyes and jutted out his bottom lip a bit. "Keep me posted on this guy, Hic. I'll totally beat him up for you."

"Are you _stupid?_" Astrid interjected. "Last kid who got in a fight with him got a black eye and a bloody nose! He'd friggin' _break _you, Overland."

Jack rolled his eyes to his left. "Yeah, right…"

"I'm _serious_, Jack. He's got 7th grade friends that'd pummel you, too."

"How the _heck _is a guy like _that _popular with the older kids?"

Astrid shrugged. "I hear he's in 7th grade, but so stupid he got put in 6th grade classes."

"No way," Jack thought for a minute. "Dang, I'd be pissy too. I mean, I'm not the smartest person, but getting held back for being stupid? That _sucks._"

Henrik thought for a minute. He hadn't really gotten a good look at the guy who'd thrown the volleyball, but from the quick glance he'd managed to snag, he looked like the kid in math. "Actually… I think I have the same math class as him."

Both of his friends looked at him with wide eyes. "Really?" they inquired in perfect synchronization.

He nodded, thinking back to his classmate and the black and yellow blur he'd caught on his way out of the gym. "If we're still talking about tall, dark, and jerky then yeah, I think."

"Jeez, what is that even _like?" _Jack asked, a laugh somewhere behind his question. "I think I've only talked to him once and _that _was a mistake."

"You be careful around him, okay?" Astrid warned, looking at him with genuine concern in her eyes. "Don't get mixed up with someone like that, and if he starts picking on you _don't _try to tough it."

"Yeah," Jack interjected. "Go tell a teacher or come get me."

Henrik smiled at his friends' concern. "Alright. Thanks, Jack. You too, Astrid."

Astrid returned his smile and he felt his heart starting to run a mile. Jack leaned over and glanced between the two of them, audibly groaning and rolling his eyes.

"Aw don't tell me I'm gonna have to start third wheeling with you two…"

Astrid glanced at him. "Huh?"

"Ya' know. Third wheeling," he responded, giving Henrik a smile so smug it made him want to smack it right off his face. "Care to explain, Hic?"

Henrik's face flushed. "J-Just ignore him. Jack's an idiot."

Astrid giggled. The older scoffed, _clearly _taking personal offense to the insult. " 'scuse me? Who are you calling an idiot, shorty?"

Between Jack and Henrik's bickering, and Astrid's smart remarks at Jack, it was safe to say that they didn't make it too the nurse's for a while.

* * *

Jack came home that day with a smile on his face.

Aside from Hiccup's struggles at school and a few of his own curricular problems, he had a pretty decent day over all. When the bus stopped at his house, he walked Hiccup home and scurried into his own empty house, tossing his backpack beside the living room couch before crashing his entire body into the cushions face-first. He yelped a bit at the impact, but it melted into a satisfied sigh as he found comfort. Arching his back and flattening it awkwardly, he crept across its length until his legs no longer hung over the edge. After sitting in a stiff, cold desk all day it felt _nice _to lie down. He shut his eyes for a while and found himself drifting in and out of sleep.

Jack didn't really dream much during his little cat nap, but he could hear Emma coming in later in the afternoon. The clack of her shoes against the hardwood floors echoed quietly through his unconscious state, crescendoing as she (or at least Jack assumed, since his eyes were tightly shut) approached his sleeping form. A finger jabbed at his side, sending the slightest tickle rippling through his belly. Jack winced, and as he pried open one eye, he could _see _the little smile on his sister's face.

"Wake up, Jack!" she cheered, leaning down closer to him. "Dad will be home in a few minutes, so get ready for dinner."

Both eyes fluttered open. Something about her statement didn't seem right. "Dinner? Isn't it too early for that?"

"It's 4:45, stupid." Emma pointed to the clock. Sure enough, when he looked the clock read 4:45pm. "Have you been asleep all afternoon?"

He yawned. "Pretty much."

"Well no wonder you can't sleep at night, silly," Emma rolled her eyes, skipping across the living room, through the kitchen, and into the laundry room. Jack watched her and lazily turned over so his back hit the cushions. His spine cracked and a certain crick in his neck protested the action, resulting in a tired groan from the boy as he stretched out. A sigh escaped his lips, his eyes shutting once more at the exhalation. His bangs messily scattered across his forehead, so he brushed them to the side.

Ugh. He did _not _want to move.

The front door cracked open around 5pm, and North stepped through with a wide smile. Jack sat up from his spot on the couch and grinned back at his adoptive father. "Hey, North."

The old man strutted over and pressed a kiss to the top of his head. "Hello, Jack. Where is Emma?"

"Uh…" he thought back, but he didn't remember hearing her leave the laundry room. "Probably still in the laundry room. Maybe upstairs."

North nodded. "Alright. Dinner will be ready in few minutes. Go get Emma."

Jack groaned, realizing this would require him to get up. As the old man left the room, he sat up (a couple of limbs cracking as he did so) and swung his legs over the side of the couch. He wobbled with each step as he headed up the stairs and swung into her room. He smiled. Emma was lying on her bed with her school books open, scribbling down some answers for her homework. Jack tapped at the door and she glanced up at him with a smile. "Hey Jack."

"North says to come down for dinner."

She closed her books and neatly piled them on the floor. "Alright."

They hobbled down the stairs until the distant sound of the mail truck buzzed outside the front door. Emma smiled as they hit the bottom step. "I've got the mail!" she cheered, hurrying out the door. Jack shrugged and swung into the kitchen; plopping himself down at a random seat while North finished up whatever it was he was doing. He looked up at him and stated, "Emma's getting the mail, so she'll be here in a sec."

The old man turned to him with a smile. "Alright. How was school?"

"Same as usual," Jack sighed, letting his cheek fall onto his fist. He sniggered a bit. "Hiccup's being a weirdo, but that's nothing new."

"Something bothers him?"

He shrugged, "I think some kid's giving him a hard time."

North nodded, and mumbled quietly, "I see, I see…"

Before Jack could get another word out, the front door reopened and Emma stepped in, a stack of letters tucked under her right arm while her hands held a single paper. Her eyes were glued to it, though her expression mirrored a certain confusion Jack couldn't quite place. He smiled at his sister's reentry. "Whatcha got there, Emma?"

"Camp letter," she stated dryly, without removing her eyes from the paper. "But uh… I think this might be someone else's letter."

North and Jack glanced at each other, each unsure of what she meant. "What's the address say?" Jack asked, hopping out of his chair to stand beside her.

Emma looked up at him, curiosity gleaming in her bright, brown eyes. "It's _definitely _our address… but they got your name wrong."

"How hard can it possibly be to spell _Jack?_" The older rolled his eyes and sighed. "What's it say?"

She held up the letter, the label facing Jack. He skimmed his eyes across the black-printed name and his heart sunk. The confusion on his sister's face _stung._

"It's addressed to someone named Jack _Overland._"

* * *

**Author's Note: **If the last line is confusing, read it over a few times and think back. I'll explain it a bit better next chapter, I swear! Thank you for the follows and reviews! We enter a new arc and a new conflict next chapter.


	16. Float On

**Author's Note: **I realized we're not even in 8th grade yet and I've hit 16 chapters. _Yowch _this is gonna be a long story. Ah well! I have _plenty _of plans. Welcome to arc number 2, ladies and gents! We have dual-stories going on in this one, though the secondary (pertaining to Jack and Emma) will be resolved and expanded on _later. _This chapter is the introduction to the summer camp arc _and _(I guess) an introduction to Jack/Emma's story. I feel a brief explanation is in order, so I'll throw this out there now: **Jack has been using their original last name without Emma knowing (so he's Jack Overland), while Emma uses North as hers. **It'll get explained a little better as to why but I figured I'd throw that out there since I _really _didn't touch on that much. Whoops.

**Basic Overview: **Summer camp is soon to begin, but first Jack has some explaining to do.

**Point of View: **3rd person: Jack

**Warnings: **Minor time-skip with feels beforehand.

**Age Reminder: **Jack is 13 (6th grade); Hiccup is 12 (6th grade); Emma is 10 (4th grade)

* * *

**Chapter 16: Float On**

**June 6****th**

* * *

"It's addressed to someone named Jack _Overland._"

For a minute, Jack wasn't entirely sure how to breathe. The blood in his veins chilled and froze, letting the _cruelest _of chills roll up and down his spine. He opened and closed his mouth a few times in the hopes that something, _anything _would come out but nothing did. Squeaks and rather pathetic croaks snuck out of his throat as he furrowed his eyebrows and bit down on his lower lip. The older brunette turned to his adoptive father, searching for some kind of signal; North's expression mirrored Jack's own melancholy. His lips were pursed and his eyes lowered to the floor. Jack gulped.

For once, it seemed like North didn't know what to do either.

"…what's the matter?"

The little ring of innocence in Emma's voice was _killing _Jack, and every lie between North and he had told since day one echoed in his ears. His eyes darted between North and Emma, heart pounding against his ribcage with the bitter inability to respond properly. It felt like minutes were passing quicker than seconds as he was left to think things over for a moment. Jack didn't know what to say, but he knew something _had _to be said to his sister.

After a moment of silence, North sighed and nodded at him when he glanced back. "Jack…" his voice trailed.

Jack frowned. He didn't _want _to say it. He _really _didn't want to.

Emma lowered the letter in her hands and her eyes softened. "…_what? _What's wrong?"

He lowered his head and returned his gaze to his baby sister. "It's… um… not a misprint."

"…yeah it is," Emma stated, her eyebrows furrowing as she glanced back down at the letter. "It's _supposed _to say Jack North."

Jack hadn't even said anything but the _pain _in his sister's voice was choking him up. His voice cracked. "N-no, no it's _really_ not, Emma."

"_Yes_ it is." She argued. "Dad's a North, _I'm_ a North, and _you're _a North."

"Emma—"

"Would you quit playing tricks, Jack?" She swallowed thickly. "It's not very funny."

"I-It's not a trick," Jack sighed, averting his eyes from the look of rage on his sister's face. "My last name's Overland, and so is yours."

"No it's not!" she yelled back, looking over at North. "Dad, tell Jack to stop messing around!"

North remained quiet. Emma's eyes softened, but her hold on the letter tightened into a death-grip.

"…Dad?"

The old man inhaled loudly. "…Emma, I think we need to talk."

Her eyes darted between him and Jack. "…about _what?_ What is Jack talking about?"

The stove clicked off, and the scuff of North moving a pan off the burner echoed through the kitchen; Jack couldn't bring himself to move his eyes off the floor. North scuttled into the living room, placing a hand on his shoulder as he stood beside the boy. Jack only bowed his head _more _when he could feel him looking down at him_. _"Jack?"

He glanced up at North and _immediately _recognized the look on his face. It asked him to leave without saying a word, with blue eyes dulled and hazed with sorrow. Despite every stray thought warning him to stay and talk with Emma too, he swallowed the lump in his throat and choked back tears as he shuffled past his sister to start up the stairs. He dragged every step, _desperately _focusing on each creak of the floor boards beneath his feet rather than the image of his sister on the verge of furious tears still lingering about his thoughts. As he neared the top step, the creaking stopped and the image returned, lies reechoing in his head as his shoulders tensed and his teeth tug _hard _on his lower lip. A few stray tears fled down his cheeks, but he was quick to wipe them away.

Jack tried not to cry. He _really _tried to fight it back, but once it started, it wouldn't stop.

Finally reaching his room, he quietly shut the door and yanked his brown, fleece blanket off the beanbag as he headed toward the window. Clicking the lock and tossing up the divider, he slinked through the opening and slid onto the roof hurriedly, the blanket hanging off his shoulders loosely. Once he managed to get on the platform, he let his balance waver until his butt hit the platform and his feet back-stepped closer to him so he could hug his knees. A cool breeze rushed by and he felt the tears roll down his cheeks faster. He choked back sobs, just in case Hiccup was in his room.

In retrospect, if he wanted to cry he probably should have just done it in his room so Hiccup couldn't hear him. But on the other hand, at least Emma couldn't hear him crying like a baby from the roof. Pros outweighed the single con, so he pushed back any fear of Hiccup catching him and allowed him to just cry into his knees, his only company being the brown blanket embracing his shoulders and the Man in the Moon, who peered down at him with a crescent smile.

He screwed up again. Just like he always did.

But this time he screwed up _badly _since it hurt Emma. God, Jack was so _stupid; _he shouldhave gone to get the mail himself (he and North had been _very _careful about that since day one) or written down North for his last name when they asked him to fill out the camp application. He _shouldn't_ have been so stubbornto take on his adoptive father's name, no matter how _wrong _it felt in the end. He _shouldn't _have been such a wimp about telling Emma they were adopted, and he _shouldn't _have even lied to her in the first place, but… but…

Another wave of tears crashed and rolled past his eyelids. Memories slid along the contours of his mind, and combined with the image of Emma's expression from before it _tore _at his heart. The way her eyes watered without actually tearing up and widened with this _horrible _mix of anger and sorrow and confusion and… just… Jack couldn't think about it without his chest bearing pressure he could only _assume _was targeting his heart; his arms would hug his knees _tighter _until he could feel his fingernails pricking against his skin (probably leaving little welts he couldn't find himself to care about) with each broken sob. Jack mentally chuckled at himself. God, he was such a _baby _wasn't he? Sitting on the roof crying his eyes out like a 4-year-old throwing a temper tantrum… Yeesh. Yeah, I guess he had good reason for it, but this was just _pathetic._ He was acting like the kids he usually made fun of (not out loud, of course)! What he _needed _to do was find a way to suck it up and pull himself together.

But every attempt to justify his actions only ended with that _horrid _image of Emma, and he ended up crying again every time.

* * *

Sometime around midnight, Henrik had the displeasure of waking up for no reason.

The break between his dreams generally ushered his awakening, and he found it frustrating that he could never stay asleep for more than a few hours at a time. He sat up in his bed with a groan, hair a tangled mess and eyelids still heavy with the insatiable desire to stay shut for about six or seven more hours. Stretching his arms and back a little, Henrik glanced to Toothless' spot on the bed and smiled at the little ball of fur. He pet his head lightly (so he wouldn't wake him up) and sighed. At least _he _could sleep…

He glanced at the window and noted the lack of moonlight flooding past the curtain. Curiously, he slid on his prosthetic and stepped over, tugging open the thin fabric to glance up at the moon. Sure enough, it waned just above the rooftops in a sky full of wandering stars. Henrik skimmed his eyes along the skyline until they hit the roofs, eventually locking on a thin, brown blob curled on the opposite roof. He wasn't sure whether he should smile or not when he registered it as Jack, but an idea popped into his head either way.

Tugging back the curtain, he slid up the divider on his window and wiggled through the hole feet-first, unintentionally having to limbo beneath the glass. When he was finally sitting in the sill from the outside, he let his right leg steady and his prosthetic slide a bit so he could properly stand. With hesitant steps and a _miserable _wobble across the gap, he stood beside Jack – who, oddly enough, was curled into a fetal position with his face buried into his knees – and smiled crookedly.

"Shouldn't you be asleep or something?" he joked, tapping his friend in the back with his prosthetic.

Jack didn't budge. His head shifted a bit, but Henrik could still just _barely_ make out his facial features.

"…Jack?"

No response. Henrik panicked.

"…is…somethin' wrong?"

Jack nodded, shifting a bit so his eyes peeked over his arms. His bangs still obscured them to a certain extent, but from the light that generous gleamed off of them; Henrik could just barely make out a pinkish tint. If he didn't know any better, he'd have assumed Jack was crying or something. "Emma. She uh… found out."

His voice cracked as he spoke, affirming the younger's previous assumption. Henrik's smile fell at the thought. "Found out? Found out _what?_"

A pause.

"That we're uh…" he cleared his throat. "We're adopted."

Henrik fumbled a bit. It was a loaded statement, really, that Jack just sort of dropped onto him as if it were nothing, yet some sort of apocalyptic trigger at the same time. It made a lot of sense, now that he thought about it; North and he didn't really look too much alike; Henrik finally _got _Jack's habit of referring to him as "North" instead of Emma's usual "Dad". He wasn't sure if it was _good _that Jack could be so casual about such a serious topic around him, or if the entire scenario was… well, downright _weird. _He stumbled upon a mid-ground and focused on the matter at hand; Jack was upset and… well, Henrik didn't like that too much. Jack was always there for him, so this was the _least _he could do; he wanted to help him feel better, or to at _least _get some of the weight off his shoulders.

After deliberating what to say, he settled on a question and mumbled back, "You uh… didn't... already tell her that?"

The older boy sighed, his head falling into his knees once more. Henrik took the opportunity of his pause to sit beside him. Jack finally let his knees fall a bit so he could lift his head, a sad smile gracing his lips before crumbling back into a grimace. "What was I supposed to say?"

Henrik wasn't entirely sure how to respond to that. He scooted closer and put a hand on his shoulder sort of awkwardly, feeling the tension in it ease at the touch.

Jack shook his head and chuckled brokenly, as if he were objecting his own thoughts. "I mean… North's the only Dad Emma's ever had, and they're so… _close _and it's just, like… she doesn't even…" he fumbled for words, huffing and groaning at his own inability to properly speak. But Henrik waited patiently between fragments. "She doesn't r-remember our parents, and North's like… the freaking _world _to her so it's just… just…"

The younger pursed his lips a bit. "Hard?" he supplied.

"_Beyond _hard!" Jack exclaimed, tossing his right hand in the air. "I just… I-I couldn't just screw that up."

His eyes lowered, and Henrik found himself following those reflective blues as they sank down, both taken and distraught by their melancholic glaze.

"Not _that," _he whimpered a bit, tugging at his bottom lip with his teeth for a moment. "Crap, Hic, she friggin' _loves _North as a Dad. _I _like North as a Dad but… I-I can't… it's not… _right_ for me to just… forget about them. Ya' know?"

Jack's shoulder shook beneath Henrik's palm. He shushed him when he tried to stutter something out and lowered his eyes. "It's alright, Jack." He mentally smacked himself for not knowing quite what to say the way Jack did when _he _was upset. "Look, y-you didn't do anything wrong, okay?"

The older boy glanced over at him, an eyebrow slightly raised. "Wh-what?"

"Well, I mean…" Henrik thought for a moment, wording himself _very _carefully. "You were… _editing. _So Emma wouldn't be upset, right?"

Jack nodded. "I guess."

"I don't see what's wrong with that, I mean… crap, Jack. That _sucks _but you were doing it for _her_." He scratched at the back of his neck a bit, eyes darting between Jack's face and the suddenly _fascinating _surface of the roof. "I-I… I think that's really uh… (crap what's the word…) brave of you, I guess."

Henrik sighed, slinging his arm around Jack's shoulder the way his friend usually did to him in the halls. "It was only a matter of time before she found out. And… well I think it's kind of amazing you tried to keep things as… er… (_god _I suck at this…) n-normal as long as you did."

Jack looked over at him. "You think?"

The younger nodded, relaxing a bit more as his friend's expression softened. "Well… yeah."

"…I guess..."

Henrik smiled at him, a genuine (and sort of awkward, really) little thing that tried to assure Jack that things would be alright. The older boy rested his head on his shoulder, finally releasing his knees from his tight hug to let them straighten along the rooftop. Taking a moment to breathe and regain his composure, he shut his eyes and they simply sat for a moment without saying a word.

Henrik – being the curious little idiot that he was – worked up the courage after a moment's deliberation and murmured, "So… what… happened to them?"

Jack pulled back to look at him properly.

"Y-your parents," the younger stuttered. "I-I mean, i-if it's not like… a horrible time to ask or anything."

The older smiled slightly. "It's cool," he sighed, straightening his back and placing his hands behind him so he could lean a bit. "Besides, you're someone I can talk to about it."

His comment wasn't much, but it made Henrik happy for some reason. He mimicked Jack's sitting position and listened to him closely, eyes darting between the sky (that Jack seemed _ever _so focused on) and his friend.

"We used to live back on the East coast," he started, expression rather blank but reflective. "On the shore. There was this… _really_ big storm that hit and the house flooded."

He could _easily _piece together where this was going, but he focused intently on Jack's story, the sounds of nighttime around them slowly muting to the sound of his friend's voice.

"Emma and I got out just fine," his lips curved upward for a split second, though it faded and wavered as a frown. "Mom and Dad they uh… weren't so lucky."

"So, they…"

Jack nodded. "Drowned. I don't… _think _Emma remembers any of it. She was still a baby when North got us out of the system."

Henrik's eyes lowered from the sky to the yard in front of them. "…sorry."

A laugh tore through the air, and Henrik found it so _foreign _and out of place from his gloomy friend he nearly jumped right out of his skin. Glancing over with wide eyes, Jack had the _weirdest _smile on his face, and he sat up with his legs crisscrossed. "What are you apologizing for, dork?" he smiled crookedly, eyebrows still curving upward a bit. "Yeesh, it's not _your_ fault or anything."

Henrik blinked. As Jack relaxed, he felt his own limbs unwind. He sighed, giving Jack a side-glance and a slight smirk. "Ya' know, I was actually _worried _about you for a minute."

"Well quit doing that!" the older smiled back. "Tonight's been _crap_ all around, but don't count me out yet."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah…"

Another pause. Amidst the silence and dying chuckles, there was a mutual decision that it'd be best they both go to bed. As they stood and stepped toward their respective windows, Jack took a deep breath and smiled, stopping before his own.

"Hey, Hiccup?"

Henrik turned to him. "Yeah?"

"…thanks."

He wasn't entirely sure _how _a single word could make him smile this much, but he felt his lips curve up in response to the sinceregratitude reflecting in Jack's eyes and brightening his smile. It wasn't particularly his widest or his brightest, and to be quite honest it was a wimpy, pathetic little thing.

But amidst the fleeting grief in the air, Henrik found it nothing short of a treasure.

* * *

**June 17****th**

**Final Day of Classes**

* * *

The last day of school was a day of celebration, though Jack couldn't quite find it in himself to cheer as loudly as his peers when the final bell rang.

Leaving school meant going home to the silence, where Emma didn't talk much and North wasn't sure what else to say. The old man had warned Jack that Emma was going to need some time to figure things out in her head before she'd come and talk to him, so every night at dinner she grabbed her plate of food and ate upstairs. The same pattern would repeat on the weekends for each meal; North and Jack would eat in the kitchen together in complete silence. It bothered him (_crap _did it bother him) but he didn't have the guts to speak up. No one was talking in the house anymore, and he was beginning to find the quiet unbearable_. _

As he gathered his books from his locker that afternoon, Jack found himself excited for the summer but at the same time dreadingit. He shuffled to get every loose paper at the bottom (and man, was there a lot of them!) into a neat pile he could throw into the garbage pails placed along the center of the hall. When the dinky old thing was finally empty, he took a deep breath and slammed shut the door, peeking down at the sizeable stack of binders he was _supposed _to stuff into his backpack. Jack groaned.

The clack of metal against the linoleum caught his attention, and peeking over he could make out Hiccup's small form shoving through a crowd of excitable girls making their way out. Jack snorted a bit when he nearly tripped; frantically apologizing to the girl he accidentally bumped into before speeding over to his side. As the older boy's eyes skimmed along his form, he noted that Hiccup had taken to carrying his books in a reusable grocery bag. It seemed unusually heavy despite how few binders were in there, so Jack assumed he hadn't dumped all his papers out of them yet. Hiccup placed the bag on the floor and rubbed at his shoulder with a slight smile.

"I'm surprised you're not bouncing off the walls," he laughed. "It's summer vacation, Jack; aren't you excited?"

Jack shrugged. "More or less. Can't wait to get out of here and get to camp, though."

"Think we'll be in the same cabin?"

He scoffed. "_Please, _Hiccup. Some dumb counselor's not gonna keep us apart. 'sides, I'll just bum around your cabin if it comes to that."

"What if you get kicked out?"

Jack raised an eyebrow. "What part of _master of stealth _are you not understanding here? Dude, I'm untouchable. We'll be _fine._"

"Oh, _silly _me for doubting you," Hiccup joked, his voice laced with sarcasm. Jack finally slammed his old locker shut and sighed, stacking his binders in his arms before they started down the hall. "So… how was _your _last day?"

"Kinda crappy," he admitted with a sigh, smiling over at his friend. "But hey, only one more week 'til we're outta here, ya' know?"

"You're _really _excited about camp, huh?"

"Hey, I could use a change of scenery," he sniggered. From the corner of his eye, he could see Hiccup frowning.

"Alright, you're all… _off _today," Hiccup pulled him to the side so a few people behind them could get by. He placed his freehand on his friend's shoulder and looked him dead in the eyes. "Are you still worried about Emma?"

Jack sighed. "Yeah. _Real _worried. She hasn't been talking to me much for like… the past two weeks."

"To be fair, she kinda got hit by the adoption bomb outta nowhere," Hiccup's hand fell from his shoulder and to rub at the back of his neck. "If I were her, I'd probably be upset too."

The older deadpanned. "Is this supposed to be making me feel better?"

"Look, a-all I'm saying is that if you give her some more time things will be alright."

"That's what North keeps sayin' too, but she hasn't budged," Jack sighed, thinking back to all the times they'd bumped into each other at the house after school, and the empty little glances she'd give him when he said hello. North kept _insisting _that she was just having a hard time and that given time she'd be back to normal. But how much time was enough? "She won't say anything to anyone, and… I dunno, I miss her I guess. It's too quiet without her."

Hiccup nodded his head as if he understood the sentiment. He thought briefly, tugging at his bottom lip with his teeth before bouncing at a sudden idea. "Hey, do you wanna sleepover tonight?"

Jack blinked. Where did _that _come from? "Uh… sure, I guess. If it's cool with your Dad."

"Should be fine," he shrugged. "Half the time it's just me and Toothless in the house anyways."

The older boy opened his mouth to say something, but found the words falling. It'd been so long that he'd almost forgotten Val was gone.

Hiccup smiled at him. "We should probably get going before the bus leaves."

"Good idea," Jack returned the gesture, following him down the hall in a hurry as they rushed for the front doors. And as they sat down next to each other on the bus and Hiccup droned on about camp, Jack found himself not really listening to the words he was saying. He sunk back in his seat and a smile worked across his face at the excitement written across the other's face. For the duration of the bus ride, he simply watched the way Hiccup's expressions shifted as he spoke and felt a certain comfort overtake him.

His family at home may have been in silent shambles, but it was more than reassuring to know that Hiccup hadn't changed a bit.

* * *

Hiccup's house was just as quiet as his own.

After Jack dropped off his binders at home and alerting North that he was sleeping over, he hurried back over to his friend's house, only to be greeted by its silence. The only noise that lingered about the air were clicks and clacks of Toothless's nails scuffing against the hardwood floors, his little yips, and the hushed banter between the dog and Hiccup. What Jack could only _assume _was the A/C buzzed somewhere in the background, and as he neared the kitchen he smiled at his friend. Hiccup knelt to the ground (his prosthetic scraping against the floor in the process) to rub Toothless's belly and a few of his other happy spots. Jack sat beside him.

"Yeesh, he's energetic as ever," he commented, holding out his hand for the little warrior to sniff. Toothless merely stared at his hand with narrowed eyes before tentatively letting his head roll back. Jack scratched behind his ear and he writhed a bit.

"He's always like this," Hiccup snickered. "Most of the time when I get back he's jumpin' all over the place, or eating whatever he can get his paws on."

"Heh," Jack pulled his hand back. "Seems like he's gotten to be a real handful."

Hiccup smiled. "It's like having a small dragon or something."

"Don't tell me he's gonna start breathin' fire on me."

"Who knows. You'd better watch out, Jack; he's a real killer," the younger teased, wobbling onto his feet. He placed his hands on his hips and smirked. "The unholy offspring of lightning and death itself, as a matter of fact."

Jack gasped, standing as well. "I _knew _he was trouble the second he started chompin' on me!"

"Well I guess there's no helpin' you now that he's already got a taste for you!"

"I swear, Haddock, if your dog kills me in my sleep I _will_ come back and haunt you."

Hiccup was the first to break into uncontrollable laughter, and when he started snorting (_wow _what a dork) Jack couldn't choke back his own laughter any longer. When they could finally breathe again, the boys opted to watch TV in the living room for a while, which ended up leading to a rather violent argument over whether they'd watch SpongeBob or Tom and Jerry. After _finally_ snagging the remote (after a couple of nasty shoves and swats), Jack ended up having to sit on Hiccup so he wouldn't change the channel, and… well, let's just say they ended up watching Cartoon Network for a couple of hours.

Some _horrid _cartoon about some flaming-haired kid came on and both boys mutually agreed on doing something else (after flipping through fifty-something channels and finding there was _nothing _on). They hurried upstairs and swung into Hiccup's room, Toothless hobbling along beside them. Hours flew by like seconds thrown carelessly aside as the two of them talked and hopped around the room excitedly. Eventually, Mr. Haddock returned (with a rather confused expression when he spotted Jack skipping down the stairs with Hiccup) and the three of them ate dinner together. Overall, it was rather quiet between them, but when Hiccup's father left they returned to their own silly conversations and refilled the kitchen with laughter.

As night finally came and Jack crept across the rooftops to grab himself a pair of pajamas, the boys crawled into Hiccup's bed and curled up beneath the comforter; Toothless wiggled in between them, letting the length of his small body function as a barrier, almost. Even though the little dog was half-asleep, whenever he tried to pet him he'd crack open an eye and growl at him. Jack rolled his eyes. He had _no _idea why Toothless hated him so much (I mean, considering he kind of _saved _him from the woods… indirectly, of course) but he shrugged it off and turned his attention to his friend.

Hiccup was rolled onto his side so his back faced the wall his bed was pushed against and smiled at his best friend. Brunet locks cascaded across his scalp and forehead messily, and his usual flushed complexion seemed… _redder _than usual. The lack of proper lighting probably didn't do it any justice; shadows obscured certain features on his face and he could only make out his freckles by being close-up. Jack found himself smiling at his friend too. He wasn't entirely sure _why, _but he liked seeing Hiccup this close-up; no matter _how _weird that was. It was almost like a reminder that he wasn't alone despite his troubles; that even though Emma was standing distantly, he still had Hiccup right by his side.

And it was a _really _weird thought process, but he found himself comforted by the idea of his best friend's presence.

That wasn't to say he hadn't_ already_ liked being around the little dork; he _always_ looked forward to seeing him at school and talking to him on the rooftops at night. But in this particular instance, Hiccup's company brought him a kind of comfort he couldn't quite identify, that warmed the weirdest parts of his heart and set his racing thoughts at ease. Maybe it just felt nice to not be alone, or maybe he just liked having someone around in general. Jack didn't know, but Jack didn't care; he simply basked in the awkward security only his best friend could allow him.

"Finally, summer vacation," Hiccup sighed, in a desperate attempt to break the silence. "No teachers or jerky kids or homework."

Jack grinned. "Right? We gotta make this one a _good _summer."

"No kidding!"

"After last year and this _crappy _month, I think we _both_ deserve it."

"Yeah," Hiccup smiled, turning over so his back hit the mattress and the comforter swayed to his movement. "Hopefully camp's gonna be fun."

"_Hopefully?" _Jack let himself fall onto his back like his friend._ "_What are you talking about, stupid; of _course _it's gonna be a blast!"

"It better not storm while we're out there."

His comment sort of caught Jack off guard; what did _that _have to do with anything? He laughed off his confusion. "Yeah, rain would totally kill the whole 'outdoors' thing."

"Yeah," Hiccup nodded with a strange reflection in his eyes. He paused for a minute. "Hey, Jack?"

"What's up?"

He opened and closed his mouth a few times before speaking. "We're gonna stick together, right?"

Jack had to think about that for a minute, not out of question or doubt, but rather he had _no idea _where Hiccup's question had come from. After a moment's thought, he turned onto his side and smiled at the younger boy. "Are you kidding? Of _course_ we are; that's not even a question, Hiccup."

Hiccup looked over at him, beaming from cheek to cheek. "You promise?"

He crossed his thumb over his heart to form a little X and chuckled.

"Cross my heart."

* * *

**June 25****th**

**First Day of Camp (Arrival)**

* * *

For once in his life, Jack actually beat his alarm to waking up.

He sprang out of bed with a wide smile on his face, glancing at his calendar and cheering when every cross across boxes _finally _led to a large, blue star. He snatched the messily laid-out clothes on his beanbag and hurried into the bathroom for a quick shower. Finally clean, he slinked into his clothes and brought his suitcase down the stairs, placing it with a loud clank by the front door. Jack skipped into the kitchen and fixed himself a bowl of cereal. Today was the day, _finally_, and he couldn't wait to get on the bus and _go _already!

A light pitter-patter of footsteps echoed through the living room, and when he noticed Emma tugging her own suitcase down the stairs with difficulty, he smiled to himself to hurried over. "Need some help?"

Emma peeked up at him with a small smile. "Please?"

"Only 'cause you asked so nicely," he teased, taking her bag and placing beside his own. His sister hopped down the remaining steps and plopped herself down on the couch, kicking her feet as they dangled off the edge. "You're not gonna eat anything before we get picked up?"

She shook her head. "No, I'm not very hungry."

"Not even a snack or something?"

"I'm alright, Jack."

His smile fell a bit. "If you say so."

He finished his bowl of cereal in silence, glancing over at his sister watching cartoons in the living room. Her previous comment _stung _for some reason Jack couldn't quite place, so he opted to shrug it off and placed his empty bowl in the sink. Taking a deep breath, he sauntered into the living room and sat beside her; she didn't take her eyes off the TV for a second, despite that Jack kept peeking over at her. It killed him, really, that she was so quiet and… plain. The usual glint of russet joy in her eyes had dimmed to a dull, sort of lifeless brown that reminded him of a cold cup of hot chocolate. Her smile was hastily forged when she presented it, and Jack _hated _both it and himself whenever he saw it. He wanted to say something, _so _badly to just end the tension but the words wouldn't come.

The bus arrived in front of their house at around 8:00am, so they hurried out the door (after saying their goodbyes to North with tight hugs) and handed their bags to the counselor standing beside the door. Jack made a notion to walk beside Hiccup when he finally showed his face and together they hobbled up the bus's steps. They sat beside each other and gave each other smiles as the counselor slammed a compartment outside shut and returned to her seat as the bus finally took off. Hiccup fell asleep an hour into the ride, letting his weary head rest on Jack's shoulder. The older chuckled, scooting closer so he could lay his own head on top of his friend's.

He drifted in and out of sleep (mostly when they hit _really _rough bumps in the road), with dreams consisting of hazy memories and indistinct laughter. Hiccup would occasionally wiggle next to him, forcing him to retract his head until the boy settled so he could lay his head back down. Jack could _feel _a couple of the other kids giving them weird looks but he paid them no mind. He was too tired and comfortable to care.

It'd be a long ride to camp, but Jack strangely didn't mind.

* * *

**Author's Note: **This is kind of the "welcome" chapter for this arc and the set-up for the Jack and Emma one later, so next chapter there will be character introductions and antics begin. Thank you for the follows and reviews!


	17. Folkin' Around

**Author's Note: **Finally we're getting to the fun parts! Yes sir, it's smooth sailing for a while (minus a few er… _bumps _in the road). This chapter we're introducing _a lot _of characters (sorry this one is packed with new faces) that may or may not come back later on, as well as easing into the set-up of things around the camp. So it's time to stop blabbing and get to some summer antics! The title is a song by Panic! At the Disco.

**Basic Overview: **The boys have finally arrived at camp, and fun times have yet to begin.

**Point of View: **3rd person: Jack/Hiccup alternation

**Warnings: **Minor FrostBite (mostly comical), Minor Hicstrid, introductions, mild cussing

**Age Reminder: **Jack is 13 (6th grade); Hiccup is 12 (6th grade); Emma is 10 (4th grade)

* * *

**Chapter 17: Folkin' Around**

**June 25****th**

**First Day of Camp (Arrival)**

* * *

"—ello? We're here, guys; rise and shine!"

Jack woke up to a hush, gentle voice and a few soft taps to his shoulder. When he pried open his eyes, he was met with a blurred pallet of colors pushed into wavy strands, and a pair of wide, curious eyes whose irises held the most _peculiar _shade of… what even _was_ that… pink_? _He blinked a few times to refocus his vision and noted the sharpening figure of a girl in front of him; her hair was a multitude of colors, its bright pallet mostly centering on the front locks and the tips of her bangs. The back looked straighter than the front (or at least from what Jack could see; her head was turned kinda weirdly) and was dyed a dark brown that nearly seemed black from the lighting. Jack stared at her – rather _shamelessly_, I might add – as her lips curved into a smile.

"Long bus ride, huh?" she laughed, her teeth seeming to _gleam _when the light hit them. "Sorry. Hate to disturb you and your… uh… _friend's _nap, but we've gotta get going."

He snapped from his girl-induced trance when she stepped back and returned his focus to his unconscious friend. Hiccup was still soundly asleep, so he bopped the top of his head a few times (not particularly gently, either) with a loud yawn. "Hic, wake up we're here."

The younger groaned unconsciously. His eyes shut tighter, and Jack furrowed his eyebrows.

"Dude. Up. We gotta go."

Hiccup mumbled something Jack wasn't even going to _try _to translate. He smacked his head again and his friend immediately sat up and rubbed the afflicted area. "Ow…" he grumbled, eyes still shut. With a yawn he stretched out his arms (nearly hitting Jack in the face) and arched his back as he sighed. He wriggled from beneath Jack and rubbed at his eyes. "We're here already?"

"Yeah, man," Jack grinned, shuffling out of the seat. Hiccup followed. "I guess we slept the whole way here."

The colorful girl before them smiled and stood-up a bit straighter, allowing Jack to take a better look at her. He glanced lower than the wavy rainbows of her hair (before you say anything, he was _absolutely _not checking her out or anything like that) and noted her more… err, _feminine _figure; an average bust size but wider hips that reminded him of one of his younger teacher's at school. She had to be like… in her early 20's or something, he guessed, judging by her figure and how much less rounded her cheeks were. He'd have guessed mid-twenties, but the way she seemed to bounce with every step didn't really strike him as someone about to hit 25.

Jack mentally groaned. Well, any thoughts he had about asking her out just flew out the window…

All shameless ogling aside, he hadn't noticed the whistle around her neck and the logo on her green t-shirt (an oh-so-happy looking sun, how original) until now, and it registered that this girl was probably one of their counselors. A small, rectangular pin clung to her shirt mid-shoulder that Jack _assumed _had her name on it, but a lock of hair obscured the letters. She smiled at them and tucked a different wave behind her ear. _Gosh _she was pretty, and definitely not what Jack would've expected for a camp counselor.

"Come on," She gestured toward the bus's door. "We're separating everyone into cabins so you _might _wanna hurry up."

The boys nodded and hurried down the steps (Jack made sure to help Hiccup down, despite his friend's protests) into the dirt-road parking lot, where mobs of kids clustered into random patches along the grass and gathered beneath nearby trees. Counselors yelled at a few idiots hopping around on the tables, and as they strolled away from the buses, Jack noticed one of the older guys prying apart a pair of twins (it _looked _like two boys, but he could have been wrong) who'd gotten into a fist-fight. Workers tugged bags out of bus compartments and threw them into lazy piles by the grass, where kids would haul out their luggage and wheel back into their cliques. He smiled to himself. They hadn't even been here for 5 minutes and it _already _looked like a blast.

Aside from the kids, it looked like a pretty nice ground. He could make out the glimmer of a distant lake with a cabin on the docks, as well as tree-lined hills beyond the water. Trees line the dirt-path, casting the _greatest _umbrage overhead to guard him from the unyielding sun. An uncomfortable heat clung to his skin, but a refreshing breeze rolled by as a cool reprieve. To his right, a _long _stretch of woods curled along the shape of the path mysteriously and to his left was a large building labeled the "Rec Room". Just by taking quick peeks, he didn't see any of the cabins (the water shack aside) nearby. They must have been on the other side of the woods, or further along the dirt road pushing between the grass patches.

Jack and Hiccup followed the colorful girl rather blindly, their focuses turned to their surroundings rather than the people they were shoving past to find her. She stopped in the grass patch and spun on her heel, smiling at them widely. The boys didn't really notice she had stopped until they bumped into her head-first and nearly toppled over. "So, the boys' cabins will be meeting up over here," she explained, gesturing toward their current location before pointing across the clearing. "And girls' will be over there. Counselors should be over here any minute to divide you, so hang tight and stay out of trouble."

Hiccup nodded. "What about our bags?"

"Our bus is being unloaded now," she reassured. "So it _should _just be a minute. Head up when you hear them call for Bus 3, 'kay?"

"Cool," Jack smiled at her, looking her over again. He cleared his throat and walked after her as she started to stride away. "_So…_" he tried to smooth as he fumbled for her attention. "What's a girl like you chaperoning a camp for middle schoolers anyway?"

The rainbow girl laughed, stopping in her tracks and turned to look at the older brunette in the eyes. "It's just a summer job. Pays really well, so it'll help me save up for med school."

"Tryin' to play doctor, huh?"

She rolled her eyes. "Dentist."

Jack blinked. "Huh?"

"I'm saving up to become a _dentist. _Not a doctor."

He furrowed his eyebrows. "Why would anyone _want _to be a dentist?"

She laughed, ruffling his hair with a smile before spinning on her heel and skipping off to the crowd of girls across the grass patch. Jack watched her walk away and sighed, rubbing at the back of his neck awkwardly before returning to his friend's side. His thoughts buzzed with questions about the colorful, rather pretty counselor until he met his friend's narrowed eyes that seemed to mock him silently. Hiccup crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. "Dude. Really."

Jack shrugged. "What?"

"We haven't even been here for 5 minutes and you're already flirting with the counselors?"

"I was _not _flirting."

"I'm _so _sure…" Hiccup scoffed. "You know she's probably like… 20 or somethin', right?"

"Hey, age is just a number, Hic–"

"Yeah, a number that decides if you're _legal _or not_._"

"Don't be such a killjoy," Jack laughed, slinging an arm around the younger boy's shoulders. "What, are you _jealous _or somethin'?"

Hiccup swatted him arm away and shoved him back by the forehead. "Get real."

"_Jealous~_" he sang with his chin raised.

"Doofus~" the younger countered. After a few moments of waiting, one of the counselors called for Bus 3 to pick up their bags, so the boys hurried toward the _massive, _rather messyassortment of luggage by the Rec Room. They tugged out their suitcases with a bit of difficulty (since all the other kids were crowded around them as well) and wheeled them back into the clearing. Reunited with their bags, Jack and Hiccup hopped between counselors to find their cabin. For _whatever _reason, Jack always ended up gravitating toward the colorful one and Hiccup nudged him aside, reminding him that she'd probably end up with the girls instead. He huffed and they wheeled their bags to the last counselor under the assumption this guy _had _to be theirs. Sure enough, when Hiccup shyly asked if they were on his list the teen affirmed and ushered them into a cluster of other boys to his left.

Doing a quick glance over, Jack wasn't entirely sure what to think of this guy. From the right side, he seemed pretty normal; long, scragglyred hair was tied back in a tight ponytail beneath a woodsman's hat (how the _heck _could he wear that thing; it was like 80 degrees out!), and rather dull green eyes darted between his oh-so-fascinating clipboard and the kids crowded around him. He had the same green t-shirt as… uh… that colorful dentist-type counselor (Jack mentally smacked himself for not catching her name) and a whistle dangling loosely around his neck; hanging from the belt loop of his khaki shorts was this really _weird _looking holster, like something you'd keep a gun or a dagger in. Jack eyed it briefly before stepping to the left.

He noted that as he looked at their counselor from his left side, the guy had a navy blue claw-mark tattoo over his eye; it looked like a bear slashed him in the face but for whatever reason, he bled blue. He even had a _matching _claw-mark tat on his right forearm. Friggin' weird, right? Jack _definitely _had to figure out what this guy's story was, considering how average of a teenager he looked from the right but how much of a…a _Viking _or a serial killer or something from the left.

"Well, well, looks like we got the lover boys in our cabin."

Jack turned his attention to the boys beside them, and nearly laughed at the weird bunch they were. In the back, he noted the thin, lanky blond with a dirty-white t-shirt, a red baseball cap, and hair pulled back into a ponytail who crossed his arms. Beside him was another blond, who was rather small but made up for his height in weight, with messy hair and a yellow t-shirt. And then, standing proudly in front with an _obnoxious _grin, was a rather pudgy, snooty looking kid with almost as many freckles as Hiccup (if that was even _possible_), a dark-green shirt, and scraggly brown hair (that sort of spiked in the _weirdest _places). Way in the back, Jack could have _sworn _he spotted Jamie, but it looked like he was hiding behind the taller blonde.

"Gross," the skinny blond scoffed. "They're not gonna like… make-out in the cabin or somethin' are they?"

"They better not," The pudgy brunet sneered. He turned to their counselor and sniggered. "Hey, Dan, why'd we get stuck with _these _guys; shouldn't they be with the girls or something?"

The tattooed-teen threw him a death-glare. Any signs of a sneer on the boy's face wiped off quickly.

Jack glanced at Hiccup, and the younger boy merely shrugged. _Clearly _he wasn't sure what they were talking about.

The older grinned. "Who you callin' a girl, _man-boobs_?"

Pudgy (or at least, Jack had temporarily deemed him as such) whipped around at him and furrowed his eyebrows. His nostrils flared angrily. "Oho, you're messing with the wrong guy."

"Really? 'Cause you don't _seem _that tough."

"I'm kind of a big deal out of state," he flexed his (non-existent) muscles and chuckled. "Yeah, I could _totally_ throw you all the way into that lake from here, right now."

"Sounds fun," Jack laughed. "I'd like to see _that._"

He stammered a bit. "W-Well I'm not gonna waste my strength on some _dork _who doesn't even know his place."

"Yeah, _right._"

"Who the _heck _are you, anyways, newbie? I would've remembered your _stupid _face if I'd seen it here before."

"It's Jack," he held out a hand just for courtesy's sake and drew it back when the kid stepped forward to shake it. "Jack Overland."

"Overland, huh?" he sneered. "Well, _Overland_, if you're not careful you might end up _underwater_."

"Clever, ya' know I've never heard _that _one before." Jack chuckled, the sarcasm in his voice amusingly potent. "And what'd you get saddled with, snot-face?"

He blew back a bit at the snarky comment, as if he were blown by a gust of wind that hadn't actually gone by. After stepping back, he puffed out his chest again and proudly placed his hands on his hips. "Yeah, I kinda got this whole 'secret identity' thing going, and that's some _seriously _top-secret info you're asking for, so…"

"It's cool," he shrugged. "Snot-face doesn't have that bad of a ring to it either, so–"

"It's Snot_lout _to you, newbie," he interjected hurriedly, as if he were _desperate _to get the last word. "Yeah, _all _my friends call me that."

"Uh…" The lanky blond scratched his head. "Dude, _none _of us call you that."

"Shut it, Tuffnut!"

Tuffnut threw up his hands as if to say 'whatever' and stuffed them into his pockets.

Snotlout sighed. "…what about fish-bone, over there? Is he broken or somethin'?"

"Dude, I think he might be drooling!" Tuffnut laughed, pointing to the younger boy.

Jack turned his attention to Hiccup and noticed him staring across the clearing. When he followed his sights, he noted the cluster of girls beside Tooth. Just when he was about to drop some snarky comment about how Hiccup was _definitely _checking them out, he spotted a blonde braid and a blue-striped t-shirt. Jack grinned. Looks like Astrid ended up signing up for camp too, even though at school she made _such _a show about how stupid it sounded. That was _great, _but not as hilarious as the look on his friend's awestruck face.

He smacked the boy in his bony shoulder, jolting him out of his trance. Jack laughed as loud as he could manage. "Tuff's totally right, you _are _drooling."

Hiccup blinked, nervously rubbing the back of his hand across his lips before furrowing his brows upon realizing he _wasn't. _The brunet grimaced. "_Not_ funny."

"And you're yelling at _me _for flirting with the counselors," Jack cackled. "Jeez, Hiccup, you were staring at her like the last slice of pizza or somethin'."

"I was not," he huffed. "I-I was just glad she showed up, is all."

Snotlout nudged Jack aside and crossed his arms angrily. "Well I _definitely _saw her first, so hand's off, _Hiccup._"

The younger boy rolled his eyes with a shudder. Wow… His nickname sounded weird even to _Jack _when it came out of Snotlout's mouth. Before any of them could get another word out, a whistle blew, directing their attention to the tattooed counselor before them. He let the plastic trinket fall against his chest with a quiet thunk and his expression dead-panned. They made their way down the dirt path and swung through the woods, leading them down yet _another _path lined with lush, green trees and crudely-laid rock boundaries. Their counselor glanced back after a good ten minutes of walking, and stopped in his tracks. The boys stopped as well, looking up at him with curious eyes.

"Alright, you little _shits_," he all but _spat_, spinning on his heel to turn to the group of boys. "We're half a mile from the cabin, but let's lay down some ground rules first, 'kay?"

Jack and Hiccup glanced at each other and shrugged. What was _this _guy's deal?

"Rule number one: the name's Dagur," he gestured to his nametag with a scowl. "If I hear _any _of you callin' me Daniel, I'll go berserk on your little asses. My _friends _call me Dan, but I can assure you right now none of us arefriends."

Glancing behind him, Jack noted the amused expression on Snotlout's face. He was looking at Dan—er… _Dagur_ as if he were some kind of god or hero or something. What the _heck?_

"Rule number two: do what I say _when _I say it and we'll all be just fine. So… If I say jump, you say…?"

"How high?" Snotlout supplied with a grin.

Dagur threw up a thumb at him. "Exactly."

The amount of _pride _on that freaking kid's face was mind-blowing. Dagur had hardly said anything to them, and he _already _had Snotlout wrapped around his finger. Jack sniggered. And he was calling him and _Hiccup _gay?

"Rule number three: _don't_ touch my stuff."

Jack didn't even think he _wanted _to know what was in that holster anyways. He sniggered quietly. It was probably a dagger, or something he could kill with.

"Rule number four: keep up and _shut _up. If we go hiking and you slow us down," Dagur shot Hiccup a _particularly _vicious glance. "Do _not _expect me to carry you back to the cabin."

Ya' know it's kinda funny; the _more_ this guy talked the _less _surprised Jack found himself with the idea that Dagur's probably killed someone before.

"And rule number five: stay out of trouble. I'm not bailing any of you shits out of a time-out; if you're gonna act like a shit, you're gonna deal with getting treated like one."

…Oh yeah, there was no doubt in Jack's mind now; this guy _had_ to have a criminal record, and about seven different identities.

The tattooed counselor shot Jack a quick glance, and he nearly jumped out of his skin. "Are we _all_ clear on the rules?"

Everyone nodded and murmured hush okays. Dagur rolled his eyes.

"I said," he raised his voice to a near yell. "Are we _clear?_"

"Yes, Dagur!" everyone responded loudly.

He grinned sinisterly. Holy _crap _his smile was so damned evil it reminded Jack of like… the freaking _Grinch _mid-stealing Christmas or something!

"Good," he sighed, spinning on his heel before marching forward once more. "Then let's get moving."

* * *

Henrik wasn't entirely sure _how _he ended up in the trouble cabin, but judging by the _massive _fist-fight that broke out over the top bunks, he didn't feel there was room to question it.

I kid you _not _when I say that there was a giant pile of stupid boys in the center of the cabin smacking down and hollering about who "called" the top bunks first. He was _ashamed _to say that Jack was in the middle of that fight, teaming up with Tuffnut to beat down Snotlout every now and then. Henrik awkwardly shuffled past the tussling threesome and settled himself on the furthest bottom bunk on the right wall, sneaking his stuffed dragon beneath the pillow as the other boys argued. The smaller blond boy tossed his bag on the bottom bunk on the left wall, and then carefully snuck around the others to sit beside Henrik.

He smiled at the other. "Bottom bunk?"

The blond nodded, returning the smile.

"Me too," Henrik sighed. He bent his left leg up to show the prosthetic. "I can't really climb too well with my leg."

There was no vocal response to his comment, but the blond nodded once more, as if he understood.

"You don't talk too much, do you?"

He shook his head.

"Well… that's alright. Me either." Henrik offered him his hand and smiled as he took it and shook. "I'm Henrik. What's your name?"

The blond pulled back and pointed to his nametag. Written beneath the laminated cover in black sharpie was the name Sandy.

"I CLAIM THIS BUNK IN THE NAME OF JACKSON OVERLAND!"

Jack's declaration of ownership was Henrik's only warning before his best friend threw his bag onto his bunk (_luckily _Sandy dodged it) before hastily climbing up the ladder and crashing his back into the mattress. The entire bedframe shook, and he _roared _with victorious laughter from above. Henrik found himself sighing, turning to Sandy with a defeated expression.

"You'll uh… have to excuse Jack," he blew his bangs out of his forehead. "He's kinda… _really_ stupid."

Sandy coughed a bit with a smile on his face, and (despite his initial assumption that the poor boy was choking) Henrik registered it as a laugh. It clicked in his head that his habit of remaining silent _probably _wasn't one that was voluntary, judging by the way the boy continuously attempted to converse with him without speaking. He jumped bit as Jack swung his upper body over the edge and dangled himself to peek at the younger boy with narrowed eyes. "I _heard _that," he growled, making crude 'I'm watching you' gesture with his index and middle finger.

Henrik snorted. "You're gonna fall, doofus."

"Am not," Jack grinned, wiggling a bit. "See? I'm perfectly fine up here."

He rolled his eyes, and the older boy returned to his bunk. Across the room, Tuffnut mock-gagged. "Ugh, would you two get a room. Ya' know… one that's _not _this one?"

"Oh give it a rest," Jack swung back up onto his bunk, his voice muffling slightly above Henrik. "I'm like, his body guard. You guys wouldn't get it."

"Body guard, yeah, that's _hilarious, _Overland." Snotlout hopped up the ladder on the back wall's bunk, but Tuffnut tugged him back down by the ankle. He yelped a bit when he hit the floor, and scowled as the blond reclaimed the top bunk. "Just keep the kissing or _whatever_ to a minimum if you don't mind. I gotta sleep _some _time, and we've got _kids _in here."

He nodded toward Jamie, who had settled on the bunk just above Sandy. The younger boy waved at the two of them.

"Sure, sure," Jack snorted. "Wouldn't wanna keep you from your beauty sleep; I'd hate to make _your _ugly mug any worse."

Even Tuffnut laughed at that one, and Henrik choked back a snigger. Snotlout opened his mouth to retort, but Dagur stepped into the room, immediately silencing everyone in it.

The counselor grinned. "Not bad, not bad… So... You guys uh… settle or whatever?"

"Yes, Dagur." They unanimously responded.

"Cool." he pointed to the bunk beds closest to the door. "These two are mine, so lay off."

Everyone nodded.

"So… intros," he blew air out of his mouth and pointed to Jamie. "Short stuff, you first. First name."

The youngest of the group nodded. "Jamie."

He glanced across the room to Snotlout and Tuffnut, and then to Jack. They introduced themselves quickly, but when he reached Sandy the boy made no sound.

"…what, you shy or something? Speak up, I don't have all day."

Sandy pointed to his nametag, and Dagur's shoulders slumped.

"A mute, huh?" he sighed, thinking for a minute. "…actually, you might end up my favorite. Next."

Henrik jumped when their eyes locked, and he swallowed hard. "H-Henrik."

"_Wow_, your parents must hate you," Dagur laughed to himself before glancing at his leg. His smile fell and he groaned with annoyance. "Oh great. Ann threw me in the cabin with a crip and a mute... lucky, _lucky _me…"

The amounts of raw attitude this guy was exuding _actually _made Henrik want to punch him in the face; which was weird, since Jack was usually the only one who could make him that irritated.

"Whatever. We're heading down to the auditorium for the welcome program soon," he threw on a fake smile and waved his hands unenthusiastically. "Then we lock you up in the Rec Room until dinner and you guys uh… converse with the others, I guess. Everyone clear on the plan here?"

"Yes," everyone sighed.

"Cool. Bathroom's across the hall, and for _god's _sake there are showers in here for a reason." Dagur gestured toward the door and distributed his _vicious _glare evenly amongst the group. "Whether you wanna take one at night or in the morning is _your _call, but they're _mandatory_, ya' got that?"

"Yes."

"You've got ten minutes to settle before we shove off. At least _try _not to annoy me." He sighed, marching out of the door and into the sitting room. The second the door shut, the room roared with conversation once more. Jack climbed down from his bunk and slinked through the ladder onto Henrik's bunk (nearly getting his butt stuck in between the steps, the dork) to plop down beside him with a smile. He noted Sandy's presence and offered him a hand.

"I'm Jack," he chirped, shaking the boy's hand. "I'm guessing you're the mute one, since Hiccup's kinda claimed the crip title."

Sandy nodded, smiling widely at the boy.

"That must suck. I can't imagine not talking. Do you have to like… write down stuff that you can't spell out?"

Another nod.

"Freaky," he grinned, returning his attention to Henrik. "_So… _about Astrid—"

Henrik's face fell. _Why _was Jack so insistent on this? "Dude. No."

Jack gasped. "I didn't even say anything!"

"You didn't have to," he sighed. "You were probably gonna say how I gotta go talk to her or something stupid."

"I wasn't gonna—" the older boy's voice trailed. "…okay, yeah, but you definitely _should_. Go for it, live a little, ya' know… is this speech ringing a bell at all?"

"Well yeah, I know, but–"

Jack deadpanned. "No. Butts are for sitting. Look, it's summer, Hic. I mean, this place is real pretty and ya' know… you guys could hang out fireside and get all romantic with her, or go canoeing or… I dunno. _Something._"

Henrik shrugged. He hated to admit it, but Jack had a valid point; I mean, it wasn't often he had the chance to _actually _talk with Astrid, so summer camp would give them some room to get to know each other. It didn't really cross his mind before, but now that his friend brought it up he realized it could… probably work out really well. They could talk about something _besides _their sucky teachers, thank the _gods. _"…but what about you? I mean, this is our summer of fun; I don't wanna ditch you."

"Pft," Jack scoffed. "Ditch _me? _Nah man, I'm sticking with you like glue, so… ugh. I can't believe I'm saying this but I guess… third wheeling isn't _all _bad."

Henrik raised an eyebrow.

"I mean, your Dad told me to keep an eye on you anyways. So I'm not goin' anywhere. And even if I do wander off, I won't be too far from 'ya. I mean, I've gotta keep your crippled butt out of trouble!"

He smiled. "Thanks, Jack."

Jack patted him on the shoulder. "Yeah, yeah, yeah…"

"_Ugh, _can we shut off the rom com crap and just go already?" Tuffnut groaned from across the room. "You guys are worse than my sister…"

"Yeah, why can't we just leave them to flirt and get out of here?" Snotlout chimed in.

Henrik jumped a bit when Jack pried off his sneaker and tossed it across the room, nailing Snotlout _right _in the forehead.

"OW!" Snotlout groaned, rubbing his forehead with a pout. "You tryin' to start something, tough guy?!"

"Maybe!" Jack taunted, hopping off the bunk to meet the brunet in the middle of the room. Henrik groaned. He let his back hit the mattress as yet _another _stupid fist fight broke out, with Tuffnut attempting to mediate and getting sucked into the crossfire. When their yelling got too rowdy, the door flew open and Dagur took it upon himself to pry the miserable idiots apart.

This was going to be an interesting summer, now wasn't it?

* * *

**Author's Note: **I am so excited for the rest of this arc; as everyone gets more comfortable with each other (and Snotlout, Jack, and Tuffnut stop fighting every two seconds); there will be even _more _mischief since the girls will be included next chapter. Also fluff. Copious amounts of fluff and antics. Thank you for the reviews and follows!


	18. This Means War

**Author's Note: **I've been fairly busy this week; sorry for the less-annual update on my part! The good news is that now we're hitting some antics, guys. The overview sums this up rather nicely, so I won't babble about the plot. Oh! Also, a while ago someone left a comment asking what type of puppy Toothless is; (_wow _this is a late response) I was talking it over with Gina, and we had him down as a Schipperke mixed with a Shih tzu; so he's fluffy and small but still energetic and all black. If you look up the mix, it's pretty damn cute. In retrospect, I should have explained that earlier but… ya' know. I'm a _bit _of a space-case, ha-ha.

**Basic Overview: **The trouble cabin has declared a prank war, and _no one _is safe from the crossfire.

**Point of View: **3rd person: Jack/Hiccup alternation

**Warnings: **Hicstrid; vicious shenanigans

**Age Reminder: **Jack is 12 (7th grade); Hiccup is 11 (7th grade); Emma is 10 (5th grade)

* * *

**Chapter 18: (Of Course You Know) This Means War**

**June 25****th**

**First Day of Camp (Arrival)**

* * *

Just as Jack had the misfortune of expecting, their time in the Rec Room was _entirely _dedicated to playing a couple of lame ice breakers.

After a long, rather _tedious _introduction in the Auditorium, the counselors wrangled them into lines and they moved to the Rec Room. They formed a big circle and played a game where the colorful counselor stood in the middle and called out random actions. If anyone in the circle had done them before, they had to sit down. The last person standing was the winner, though Jack didn't have the pleasure of winning; the counselor (who Jack had dubbed Tooth since he _still _didn't know her name) kept throwing out simple yet _ridiculous _stuff he'd end up having to sit down for. Hiccup actually won a round, though he didn't exactly seem proud of it.

Another game they played involved passing around a roll of toilet paper. They were asked to pull off as much as they wanted, so Hiccup tugged off two or three sheets while Jack pretty much ripped off half of the roll. It proved to be a _grave _mistake, though, since the amount of sheets they took determined how many facts they had to tell about themselves. To say the least, _everyone _knew _everything _about Jack (ranging from his favorite color – blue, _obviously_ – to the time he "accidentally" cut off part of Emma's ponytail in the first grade) by the end of the game. He actually didn't know what to say after a while, so he started listing off stupid things he's done before. The Rec Room was in _hysterics._

Once the _horrid _onslaught of icebreakers was over, the counselors asked them to kindly remain in the room for a while so the staff could prepare the mess hall. Jack and Hiccup were _finally _able to hang out together, so they hurried over to one of the Ping-Pong tables in the hopes of getting to play (to no avail), but ultimately opted to sit back and talk for a while. It was mostly small talk that if you asked Jack about today, he _probably _wouldn't be able to recall a lick of. However, the senseless chatter died down in the middle of his sentence when he noticed Hiccup staring off into space again.

Following his eyes, he spotted Astrid across the room. Jack sighed.

"Ya' know, I hope you're not _always _gonna be this spacey," the older boy sniggered, smacking his friend in the back of the head playfully. " 'specially if you _actually _get the guts to go ask her out."

Hiccup chuckled sheepishly. "S-Sorry."

" 's fine, I _guess,_" Jack dramatically huffed. "I've gotten used to you ogling Astrid like, 24/7."

"I _don't _ogle."

"Really?" he scoffed, raising an eyebrow. "Then what do you call _this?_"

As if to demonstrate his point, Jack mimicked his friend's _stupid _expression whenever he was looking at Astrid; he tilted his head and sighed dreamily, letting his eyelids droop and his brows arch slightly. Hiccup rolled his eyes and smacked him in the cheek, earning a muffled "ouch" from the older boy. "L-Like you're any better with that counselor," he countered, smirking triumphantly when Jack's eyes snapped open. "What, you don't think it's totally _obvious _when you were checking her out during the games?"

Well… Hiccup wasn't _wrong. _While everyone else was giving out their _lame _facts about themselves he had his eyes on Tooth.

Clearing his throat, Jack fumbled to patch up his composure. "W-well at least _I _can admit to it."

"Whatever…"

Jack smiled. "Ya' gonna go talk to her, or do I gotta do that _for _you?"

"H-huh?"

The older stood, cupping his hands around his mouth before yelling across the room, "HEY! ASTRID!"

Hiccup nearly jumped out of his skin as he bounced onto his feet (or… _foot _I should say) to slap a hand over his friend's mouth. "Dude! Shut up!"

He wiggled the younger's hands away from his mouth and shouted for her once more, cheering to himself when Astrid looked over and met his wave with a smile. Hiccup caught her smile too and froze up with a staggered expression as she started to stroll over, allowing Jack the _perfect _opportunity to slip out of his hold. The blue-eyed brunet chuckled triumphantly. "You're welcome," he commented, giving Hiccup a quick pat on the shoulder. The boy threw him a vicious glare before a soft voice cut him off.

"Well, well, didn't think I'd see_ you_ guys here," Astrid laughed as she sauntered over. "So much for 'making your own fun at home', huh, Overland?"

"You're one to talk," Jack scoffed. "Miss 'I'm-too-good-for-camp-cause-it's-lame'."

She turned to Hiccup and grinned. "Nothin' wrong with a change of heart, right?"

He nodded stupidly, stuttering _something _incoherent out that Jack didn't quite hear. What a dork; he was so nervous over _nothing_!

Jack rolled his eyes at his friend's sudden inability to speak. "_Sooo… _are the girl cabins as far uphill as the guy ones are? Cause it took us like… ten minutes to get here from ours."

"Nope," she smiled triumphantly. "Lucky me; I got crammed in lakeside."

"What?!" his jaw dropped. "How's _that _fair!? You hearin' this, Hic?"

Hiccup sniggered. "He's just mad 'cause he's lazy. It's not _that _long of a walk."

"Wow," Astrid laughed. "You're worse than a _cripple_, Jack!"

"Oh _great, _now you guys are teaming up on me?" Jack whined. "Thanks a _lot _Hic. Chivalry is _dead._"

He rolled his eyes. "Don't be so melodramatic."

Astrid chuckled. "I'm just surprised he could use the word 'chivalry' correctly."

"He probably got it out of a comic book or something,"

Jack rolled his eyes. On one hand, he was at the point of smacking his friend (jokingly of course) for making fun of him, but at the same time it looked like his idiocy was _actually _getting Astrid and Hiccup to talk. Speaking of which, what was he doing here when he was _supposed _to be letting them "get together"? He grinned mischievously, skimming his eyes across the room to concoct a quick plan to get them alone. The only thing he could really spot (considering the _ungodly _crowd of kids) that peaked his interest was Jamie sitting by himself on the other side of the room.

Jack slyly stepped out of the conversation, his eyes locked on his friend's to make sure he wasn't looking so he could slip away. When he was _positive _that Hiccup's full attention had turned to Astrid, he quietly sprinted across the room and halted to a slower pace when Jamie finally came into sight. Playing it cool, he plopped himself in the seat beside him, and they chatted for a while about nothing in particular. By the end of the conversation, Jack came to realize the kid was _actually _pretty cool.

With Emma mad at him and Hiccup flirting it up with Astrid, it felt nice to have someone to pal around with.

* * *

Henrik could only describe their cabin with three words the first week of camp: a pranking _battlefield._

It was pretty much every man for himself since the 26th, when Jack made the _fatal _mistake of making the first move. The dork had taken an entire bucket of sand from the lake and poured it into Snotlout's sleeping bag before he got back from their daily activities. (_Why _has yet to be determined, but Henrik decided he was going to stay out of this.) Of course, after playing Tennis with a couple of try-hard girls from the lakeside cabin (yes, Astrid was one of them and she was putting all the boys to shame) the pudgy brunet was _exhausted. _To buy himself some time to hide the evidence, Jack had Sandy stall him at the front door and – when Snotlout _finally _got back to his bunk – he peeled off his muddy clothes, leaving him in nothing but his boxers so he could climb into his sleeping bag.

Suffice to say, Jack cackled villainously when he hit the dirt, and _that _was the moment Snotlout declared a prank war. (Naturally a fist fight followed, but that wasn't anything new.)

The 27th was a _brutal _display of pranking prowess, when Dagur marched them down to a nearby marsh in the woods (it took _days _for their shoes to air out afterward; _gods _it was bad) for some exercise where they identified the different lizards and salamanders. While Henrik was _genuinely _interested in the activity and pretty decent at distinguishing the different types, he glanced over at his cabin mates. Tuffnut's arms were _covered _(from fingertips to shoulder blades) with lizards that wiggled around on his skin and he seemed _so _freaking proud of himself for it; Sandy was standing on top of a rock, hunched over so he could watch one of the salamanders zooming around in a small puddle; Jack was holding one up by its tail and poking its scales curiously; Jamie was glancing between Jack and the brown lizard trying to crawl up his arm; and Snotlout… wait, what was he even _doing?_

He scooped up a large glob of mud with what Henrik _assumed _were lizards in it and tip-toed through the grassy parts toward Jack. Snotlout noticed Henrik peeking over and mouthed "shut up or else" with a scowl; he returned to the task at hand and the younger brunet watched him inch his way over to his friend. Arriving at his destination, Snotlout tugged on his collar and – before Jack could turn around to stop him – stuffed his handful of lizards down the back of his t-shirt. One of them managed to crawl into his pants, so Dagur marched them all back to the cabin with a huff, stomp, and grumble (something about how they could _not _be trusted with even the simplest of activities) so he could get a change of clothes. They were "banished" to their cabin for the rest of the day while Dagur checked in with the other counselors (more like checked _out _the female counselors, really), which ultimately resulted in a couple of random conversations and Snotlout's _endless _boasting.

In the end, Snotlout wouldn't stop laughing about it, Jack named his pant-lizard Steve then chucked him out the window, and Henrik didn't want to admit he laughed through the entire incident.

The 28th was a pleasant stalemate, since Dagur caught onto their little Prank war and declared it "No Man's Day" the _second _everyone woke up. The rules were simple: anyone caught pulling or _attempting _to pull a prank would be severely punished (what that particularly entailed, _no one _in the cabin wanted to know). Suffice to say, the boys were on their best behavior that day. Or… well, I use the word "best" rather loosely. Their cabin partnered up with the lakeside cabin for some partner activity in the woods, and Snotlout _immediately _called dibs on Astrid. Jack made some snarky comment around the lines of "Remember to keep your hands to yourself, Snot-face" and they got into yet _another _brawl, allowing Astrid the space to sneak off to partner with Henrik. The others ended up partnering with random girls in the cabin, and Jack ended up getting Emma as his partner (go figure).

June 29th was a dark, _dark_ day in the trouble cabin. And I say that in a literal stand-point, since Dagur got _so _damned mad at them for a prank gone wrong that he called "lights out" around 5 in the afternoon.

It was a pretty simple stunt, too; Tuffnut and Jack decided they were going to team up on Snotlout, so they rigged the front entrance with a bucket of slush from the lake (there was seaweed at the bottom and some _gross _floating mud mixed in), placing the bucket on the top of the door so that when the pudgy brunet walked in he'd get _drenched. _Sandy kept watch for them while they waited for Snotlout to come back (Henrik actuallystuck around for this one; it would have been _pretty _funny), and once the shadowy silhouette of a person made its way up the sunset path, he waved at them with a smile across his face. Jack, Tuffnut, and Henrik ducked behind the bushes and eagerly waited for Snotlout's horrified yelp. Yeah, yeah, I know; kindergarten stuff, right?

Well… not quite. Dagur got hit with it. And he was _beyond _pissed.

_Apparently _he'd forgotten his holster in the cabin and went back for it, so when he creaked open the wooden door a bucket of disgusting, unidentified lake-liquid down poured all over him. The boys in the bushes were so scared of his wrath they ended up cutting through the woods to escape. After about ten minutes (that dragged like _hours, _really) they ended up behind the lakeside cabin, where Emma and a few of the other girls were running around the docks. Tooth ended up catching them on the other side and shooed them back their cabin (despite Jack's _god _awful attempts to sway her decision), allowing Dagur the _perfect _opportunity to decide their fates.

June 30th was declared the _second _"No Man's Day", in light of the… Heh… "Rogue Bucket Incident" as Dagur had called it.

* * *

**July 1****st**

* * *

The beginning of July was cool yet _grotesquely _humid, bringing a steady rain from the 1st to the 3rd. However, it was the comfort of rain that made the girls' assault on the trouble cabin even more of a surprise.

It was about 4:00 in the afternoon when the boys got back from a meeting in the auditorium, trudging through the muddy path and into their cabin with a symphony of synchronized groans. Each of them crashed into their bunks (a few with difficulty, as they had to _climb _to comfort) under a mutual truce and lay motionlessly for about twenty minutes. Henrik and Jack chatted with each other with muffled mattress talk (and I mean that their faces were _actually _buried in their mattresses and they _somehow _managed to communicate) while the others groaned indistinctly and complained.

The lights flickered off, allowing an eerie darkness to settle in the room.

Everyone _immediately _shut up, allowing the loud click of the front door to ricochet off the walls and the squish of wet footsteps slowly creep into the bunk room. Dagur snored here and there (he _actually _managed to fall asleep), with obnoxious little snorts and mumbles under his breath that silenced as the footsteps stopped in the center of the room. Plastic scraped against plastic, a light swish of water filled the room with a shadowy flick of the stranger's wrist, and – without warning, a stream of water came spurting from the figure's hands, _drenching _Tuffnut on his top bunk from head-to-toe.

He thrashed and smacked his arms against the wall a few times, jerking his legs around as if he were trying to _kick _the water assault away. Snotlout sniggered and sneered, but ultimately coughed as the stream whipped in his direction and nailed him in the nose. While the stranger mercilessly drenched the other side of the room with what Henrik _assumed _was a water gun, Henrik climbed under his sheets for cover and held his breath when he heard Jack complaining and coughing above him. Luckily, the little cripple got hit with the _least _water (they managed to get a few good hits on his right side and shoulder, but not much else). From beneath the blankets, the dark silhouettes about the room sharpened with a flicker of light and a gruff but _oddly _feminine cackle fluttered about the room.

He peeked out from under the sheets and blinked curiously at the blonde girl clutching her sides and _roaring _with laughter in the center of the room. Two large, empty water guns clanked against the wooden floors loudly, her blonde braid whipping in all different directions as she shook her head. Looking closely, she _kind of _looked like Tuffnut. Well… Ya' know… _if _he were a chick.

Tuffnut groaned in frustration and hopped off his bunk, _smacking _her in the back of the head. "Ruff, what the _heck!_?"

Ruff? Oh for crying out loud… Henrik mentally groaned when he realized their names were pretty much the same. Great. The lanky, pranking behemoth had a twin sister!

"Oh wow, you should see your face!" Ruffnut cackled wickedly, punching him in the gut. He groaned in pain, stumbling back a bit from the impact. She sniggered. "No wait, _now _you should see your face."

"The heck are you _doing _here anyways," the taller blond groaned, rubbing his stomach. "I thought I told you to leave me alone this summer."

Ruffnut stood up straight and smiled. She crossed her arms and puffed out her chest. "Heard about your prank war. Consider me _in._"

"No, no, _no," _Snotlout was the first to jump on her little declaration. He pointed toward Jack's bunk and huffed. "You are _not _joinin' the war, Ruffnut; this is between me and Frosty!"

Henrik poked his head off of his own bunk and glanced up at his friend. He choked back a laugh. "_Frosty_?"

"Snotlout dared me to stuff an ice cube down my pants yesterday," Jack stated calmly with a shrug, as if that _didn't _sound stupid. Adding onto his statement, he smirked and proudly raised his chin. "So I did it. _Without_ flinching."

The younger rolled his eyes. It seemed as if the more time they spent around Snotlout, the _stupider _Jack got. Sure, stupidity's not a virus, but Henrik was beginning to notice its habit of spreading like one.

"Besides," Snotlout continued, crossing his arms. "This is a _boy _game. As in, _no _girls allowed?"

Ruffnut scoffed. "Then what're you letting _Tuff_ play for?"

Her twin scowled, kicking her in the shin. She retaliated with a punch in the cheek, sending the boy stumbling back again.

Snotlout threw Jack a glare, whipping his head around so fast Henrik thought it'd pop clean off his shoulders. "Tell her, Overland! This is _our _prank war!"

Henrik could only _assume _the boy shrugged by the calm in Jack's voice. "Hey, if she wants in she's in; it's cool with me. The more the merrier."

Ruffnut grinned. "I was in with or _without _your permission."

Jack chuckled from above.

"…Tuff why didn't you tell me your sister was cool?"

* * *

**July 4****th**

**Independence Day**

* * *

A _perfect _wave of heat found them for the Fourth of July, so the different cabins each took turns in the Rec Room to make bottle-rockets for the fireworks show.

The trouble cabin did a decent job at making them, which seemed to _genuinely _impress Dagur (he must have thought they were complete _idiots _by now…) for the forty or fifty minutes they were in there. Hiccup ended up having to help Jack with his, since he kept on over-filling the bottle or accidentally wrecking it by letting it go too soon. A couple of tries ended up hitting Dagur in the back of the head, so Jack covered their tracks by ducking down or calling out Snotlout for doing it. Of course, they bickered back and forth about it, and – _clearly _annoyed with them as he stomped away – Dagur shrugged it off.

It was a rather simple day, overall; their activities were mostly harmless arts and crafts central to the theme of Independence Day, like painting little American flags or writing all over the Rec Room's white boards in red or blue. Tooth taught everyone how to make birdhouses out of popsicle sticks, so she handed out glitter and glue for them to decorate them with. Jack spotted a little canister of black glitter, and it gave him a rather _wicked _prank idea.

They had a co-ed sack race at one point, (which Hiccup sat out on for… well, _obvious _reasons) and Jack ended up tying with Astrid at the end of it. After about three different tie-breakers, it became _increasingly _obvious that the two of them were evenly matched, so Tooth called everyone over and they filed into lines for a hike around the hills. Jack – the smooth little Casanova that he was – took the opportunity to walk beside her, asking her itty-bitty questions about her and dropping as _many _compliments as he could manage. She handled them rather well, and even went so far as to call him adorable (which absolutely Jack denied, since he's tough, _not _cute) on their trip back toward the docks. As they passed the lake, he peeked behind his back and noticed Hiccup and Astrid strolling beside each other, locked in what seemed like an _actual _conversation. Jack merely smiled. It was about freaking _time _they started talking.

The fireworks show didn't start until 8pm, when the sun _finally _hid behind the horizon line and the sky flushed a dark plum. Campers sped onto the grass to get a good view while the counselors ran back to set them off. Jack sat beside Hiccup on a small towel they'd set up on the ground, and he noticed Astrid on his other side; he scooted away from his friend so he could have some space with her. Jamie plopped down beside him with a smile and Emma next to him.

And as the sky illuminated in tuffs of orange and bursts of blue, Jack's mind crossed in two directions:

The first thought spawned from a glance he'd taken at his younger sister, whose bright eyes widened with her _whoa_s and _wow_s. She seemed so happy with each crackle of rockets in the sky, and Jack found himself inexplicably satisfied with himself. Maybe it just felt nice to be by her side again, with a lively, radiant smile that shined brighter than any sparkler or firework. It made him forget the tension they'd end up returning to in a week or two, and lulled him into a false security.

The second thought floated somewhere between a smile and a chuckle, when he noticed how flustered Hiccup seemed. Astrid had laid her head on his shoulder and scooted a bit closer, smiling contently with her eyes to the aerial display. It didn't seem to cross her mind too much as to _what _she was doing and _who _she was doing it with, since she sighed and quietly sat beside him. Meanwhile, Hiccup's _entire _body had gone stiff and his eyes were the size of dinner-plates; his cheeks flushed (their pinkish tint highlighted by the ginger glow of the fireworks) and he gulped, his eyes darting between her and the sky. Jack choked back a laugh. What a _dork._

By the time the show had concluded, and the counselors announced that lights out would be at 11pm; Astrid had sat back up and shot Hiccup a quick smile before hurrying back to Tooth. Emma followed her, waving goodbye to Jamie and Jack (Jack didn't even know they were in the same cabin, to be completely honest) as Dagur yelled for the trouble cabin to converge by the flagpole. He sighed, crossing his arms.

"We've got like… an hour to kill," he stated, fiddling with his holster a bit. "Any preferences on spending it? Ya' know, ones that _won't _annoy me?"

The group quieted, until Sandy raised a hand. Everyone turned to watch him with utter fascination as he made a weird gesture with his hand. He placed his hands in front of him and rubbed them together. Jack blinked. What the _heck _was that supposed to mean?

Dagur raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Sandy glanced over at Jack, and repeated the gesture, his expression teetering between desperation and irritation. "That's uh… that's not helping much, little man."

The blond sighed and glanced at Hiccup. The freckled brunet thought for a moment as he repeated it. "A… bonfire?"

Sandy nodded with a toothy-smile.

"Not a bad idea," Dagur nodded as well. "Any of you shits wanna learn how to light a fire?"

_Everyone _roared with approval, Tuffnut the loudest of all.

Dagur chuckled. "Alright, cool. But if anyone asks you didn't learn it from me, ya' got that? I don't wanna be a witness when one of you ends up juvie."

* * *

The lakeside cabin joined them after Tuffnut lit the fire pit.

With a bit of help, they managed to push over a couple of logs for everyone to sit on while Tooth got them skewers and marshmallows (sugar free, of course). Everyone gathered around the fire, where they played a round of Never Have I Ever until a few of the girls dropped out and headed back. By 10:20, most of the lakeside cabin had left for the Rec Room leaving Tooth, Astrid, and Ruffnut with the boys. Jack grumbled about how his marshmallow kept lighting on fire, while Henrik let his toast in the fire idly as he talked with Astrid. Dagur ended up following Tooth back to the Rec Room to check up on the other girls, so Snotlout claimed leadership of the pack. He stood on the log and crossed his arms.

"Alright guys," sneered Snotlout. "Who's got a good story?"

Everyone glanced around until Henrik interjected, "Story?"

"A _ghost _story, obviously," he stated snootily. "Only seems fitting on a night like this."

Jack was the first to raise his hand. "Oh! Oh! I've _so _got this!"

"Whatcha got, Overland?"

He threw Henrik a mischievous wink before standing on top of their log. "Only _the _scariest damn story in the whole world."

Snotlout sat down and gestured for him to go. Jack grinned.

"You guys ever hear of the Boogeyman?"

The entire group fell silent, before Astrid burst into laughter. "You know we're not like, _five_, right?"

Tuffnut scoffed. "Yeah, Jack, that's _lame._"

"Hey, hey, the Boogeyman's the real deal," Jack threw up his hands. "Cross my heart, guys."

Ruffnut turned to her brother and snorted. "He hasn't even _started_ yet and I'm _seriously_ not scared."

"Well _I'm _scared of him," he crossed his arms indignantly and plopped back onto his butt. "You guys just haven't seen him like I have."

The laughter died a bit. Henrik scoffed. "You did _not _see the Boogeyman."

"I so _did, _Hic! He was screwin' with Emma so I showed him what I'm made of!" Jack insisted. "_But… _I _guess _you guys wouldn't wanna hear about how I _totally _kicked his butt."

The younger rolled his eyes. "Now _this _I gotta hear." Astrid jeered, elbowing Henrik with a grin.

He jumped back up onto the log, wobbling a bit as he shakily regained his balance. Jack grinned and placed his hands on his hips. He tapped his lips with an index finger and thought for a minute. "Where to begin…" he mumbled, before snapping his fingers. "Well, my uh… my Dad used to tell me these stories about Boogeyman. Ya' know, to freak me out about the dark so I wouldn't sneak out or misbehave and all that fun stuff."

Henrik blinked. It was the first time he'd ever heard Jack refer to North as his father, but strangely enough it seemed like he _really _had to think about it before saying it.

"Which sounded like total bull-crap," he snorted with a shrug. "So I didn't really believe in 'em too much. 'Cause I mean, it's just a bedtime story, right? Somethin' to freak you out."

The others nodded, mumbling affirmations.

"But I saw him one night," Jack began with a wicked grin, putting up his hands as if to gesture for everyone to wait. "There was like, this _really _big thunderstorm and I couldn't sleep too well. So I got out of bed to go get a glass of water."

Ruffnut yawned mockingly. "So like… _when _is this supposed to be scary?"

Jack rolled his eyes and continued. "And I didn't really wanna wake up Nor—er… Dad or my little sister when I went downstairs, so I tip-toed down the hall and snuck down the stairs. Grabbed a glass of water, chugged it down, no big deal."

He glanced at Henrik and smirked before returning his attention to his audience.

"Then I heard it," he scrunched his face up a bit, as if recalling the alleged 'memory' were a horrid task. "This weird… _dragging_ noise. Like…" He placed a very strange annunciation between each phrase, breaking into a series of unusual fragments as his pace slowed. "Someone dragging their nails along the walls but there was nothing there, and the floorboards upstairs kept creaking like someone was… was walking around. And ya' know, me being me at 2 in the morning, I decided to go check it out. See if my sister's up, ya' know?"

Henrik glanced around him and noted the fascinated expressions on his friends' faces. No way. Were they _seriously _into this?

"So I crawled up the stairs, peeked up the step, and the noises just… stopped."

As if to demonstrate, he silenced himself and allowed silence to linger in the air for a moment.

"No more walking. No more dragging. Nothin'." He shrugged, as if he _still _didn't understand it. "Just… complete silence."

He paused once more, glancing around with a quick chuckle.

"Friggin' weird, right? But hey, it was 2 in the morning. So I just kinda ignored it and headed back to bed. Fell asleep in like, 5 minutes but woke up again cause the floorboards started creaking again. So like, by then I'm pretty ticked off; can't sleep, weird noises, what the heck? Slid into the hall again to go check it out, but I didn't see anything or anyone there."

Alright, even if Jack's story was lame and _obviously _fake, Henrik had to admit he was a pretty decent storyteller. His theatrical habit of talking with his hands added to the mood and – judging by the expressions of the other campers – he had a way of setting the stage. Of course, the firelight and lack of adult supervision helped too.

"But the noises kept coming," he quickly stated. "Like someone was walking but I couldn't see 'em. 'course, it doesn't really help at 2am that the house is pitch black, but ya' know. Freaky nonetheless."

It was odd; he was telling this oh-so-dramatic story rather casually, as if he were talking about something as trivial as the weather or the time of day, yet _something _about his manner of speaking admittedly caught the younger brunet's attention. Jack made his _own _comments about how stupid the entire situation had seemed, as if to validate that yes – it _didn't _seem real but it was, and he paused at just the right moments to draw emphasis on certain thoughts. Henrik was half-invested in his story, with logic laughing at his best friend's stupidity, and the free thinking space he had left over buzzing with questions.

"And I look around in case Emma – that's my sis, by the way – might've walked by, or if N—my Dad left his room but… nothing. Just me, the dark, and the hallway."

Henrik could imagine Jack stumbling around in the dark like an idiot and it was sort of funny to picture.

"So by now I'm 2 seconds away from ignoring it all and heading back to bed. I turn around, stomp into my room, and head for the bed but then I hear a bang on the wall."

…strangely enough, he could imagine _most _of Jack's stupid story with the way he was telling it.

"And another bang. Bang. _Bang. _And the footsteps start to pick up, like someone else was stomping around too."

He paused, glancing at Henrik with his signature smirk. He rolled his eyes and peeked at Astrid, who seemed _extremely _invested in Jack's story.

"So I just sort of freeze. Cause I'm… well, I'm _seriously _freakin' out. I look behind me… really… _really _slow-like…" His voice trailed and hushed into a near-whisper, as if he were sharing some _deadly _secret. The others leaned in to listen closely. "And there's nothing again. Just the empty hall."

Another pause.

"Then Emma's door _flew_ right open!" He stated a bit louder, causing a few of the others to jump back from the sudden volume change. "Smacked into the wall with this _awful _thunk, it did. Yeah… I have _no _clue how the heck no one else heard it, to be completely honest. But! Anyways…" He cleared his throat. "So her door flies open right? And my first instinct is to… ya' know, grab a weapon. My weapon of choice? Flashlight."

Snotlout grumbled. "I would've gone for a kitchen knife or something."

"You kiddin?" Jack chuckled. "Like _heck _I was going back down there! Not with some… _thing _messin' with my baby sister!"

He shrugged.

"_Anyways,_" he insisted, throwing Snotlout a glare. "I took my flashlight, flicked it on, and headed into the hall. Lucky for me, there was _still _nothing there, so I shined it in the doorway of my sister's room." He paused. "Nothing. I must've checked like, five times but couldn't find _anything _in there. So I looked around a little more, and when I stepped in the room, the light flickered."

As if nature felt the need to back up his claim, a breeze rolled by and – as Jack described – swished the fire, dimming its light for a split second.

"And the further… and _further _I walked in, the _colder _it got, and the flashlight got closer to going out. Until finally, it just clicked," he threw up his hands and grimaced. "Right off. Leaving me stuck to stumble around her room in the dark unarmed. And of course, it didn't even cross my mind to find a light switch, so I walk over to Emma's bed and sure enough, there she is. Sound asleep, right? Not a care in the world. Peek around the room, and there's nothing there – or at least, that I can _see. _So I turn around to head back to my room, cause _that _ended up being a waste of time…"

He furrowed his eyebrows menacingly and lowered his voice to a whisper again. "Until, in the corner of my eye, I spot these two yellow lights blinking by the window."

"That is freaky…" Tuffnut's jaw dropped. "What _were _they?"

Henrik snorted a bit. Wasn't _he _the one saying the Boogeyman wasn't scary?

"Eyes, Tuff." Jack smirked. "Bright, yellow eyes."

The youngest brunet rolled his eyes. _Oh, brother…_

"And when I stared at them, the shadows came closer, step by step… and took on the form of a _person! _I'm like, completely paralyzed though. Can't move my legs. Can't really _think _or breathe cause… crap it was tall, and dark, and its _freaking _eyes, you guys!" he laughed, forcing terror onto his expression. "If you look in 'em, you can see your _very _worst fears!"

Snotlout gulped. "Wh-what'd you see?"

"Pft. I wouldn't tell _you _somethin' like that," Jack scoffed. "Plus, I… I honestly don't remember. But it was pretty screwed up, lemme tell you that!"

Jamie gasped across the bonfire. "So what'd you do? What'd you do?!"

"What do you _think_ I did, Jamie?" he laughed. "I couldn't move! It was cold and dark and _horrifying _and I couldn't _do _anything! I just sorta stood there as it got closer, and closer until it-it dawned on me that I still had the flashlight. So I'm banging on the side of it, rushing to the other side of the room as that _thing _keeps coming at me, and it reaches out with a shadowy hand…" he paused. "And it's trying to grab me, chanting under it's breath,"

Jack forged the cheesiest ghost voice he could manage and Henrik choked back a laugh. "_Believe… believe… believe…_"

Astrid cringed and scooted a bit closer to the boy beside her. Henrik gulped when their shoulders bumped.

"And it's _this _close to touching me," he demonstrated with his index finger and thumb. "When my flashlight finally comes back on. So I _shine _it, right in his face and _scream _as loud as I can! I guess I woke up Emma or something, cause she sat right up in her bed and the Boogeyman disappeared into the night. Tossed open the window and left, he did."

She rested her head on his shoulder and his heart leapt. Jack grinned from above.

"So…" Ruffnut paused. With a quick glance, it seemed to Henrik as if she hadn't been frightened at any point in the story. She had this really _bored _expression on her face, as if she weren't impressed in the least bit. "He like… chickened out or something, or…?"

"Guess so," Jack shrugged. "I must've scared him away, cause I haven't seen him ever _since._"

Snotlout nervously laughed. "That's… that's _stupid, _Overland. W-Way to bore me with your _dumb _story. _Everyone _knows there's no such thing as the B-boogeyman."

"Fine, fine," he chuckled, hopping off the log. The brunet strolled over to Snotlout and crossed his arms, leaning over to look him dead in the eyes. "When he comes for you in the night to punish you, don't come cryin' to me, Snotface."

Henrik choked back another laugh; the pudgy brunet went pale and wobbled a bit as if he were going to pass out. He returned his attention to Astrid, who had leaned her head on his shoulder mid-story and shyly pulled back when Jack made his comment. She brushed a loose strand of hair from her eyes and smiled sheepishly. "S-Sorry."

He chuckled. "Uh… n-n-no, i-it's cool."

The blonde elbowed him in the arm and scooted away, leaving him a moment to regain his composure. His pulse regained its slower, steady beat until Jack jabbed him in the sides from behind out of nowhere. He nearly jumped out of his skin. "So, Whaddaya think, Hic?" the older grinned. "_Pretty _scary, huh?"

"No way, doofus," Henrik defied. "You're gonna have to try harder than that to scare _me._"

He raised an eyebrow. "Oh, _really?_"

"Yeah, _really._"

"Not even a _little _freaked out, huh?"

"N~ope."

"You _sure?_"

"Positive."

Jack mused for a brief moment, staring at Henrik with an uncomfortably mischievous grin. "If you say so, Hic~cup." He sang the last bit, swiveling on his heel to return his focus to the others. "Think I'm gonna hit the hay, guys."

The others awed and protested quietly. It only seemed to stroke Jack's ego, really. "Hey, all this ghost story stuff's wearin' me out!"

Henrik crossed his arms. So… Jack decided to tell them some _lame _ghost story to freak them out and then just _leave? _Nuh-uh. That didn't sit right in his head; Jack was _up _to something, though he couldn't quite figure out what. "I'll walk back with you, then," he glared at him with narrowed eyes, suspicion evident in his voice.

"What," he sniggered. "You _scared _or somethin'?"

"_No,_" the younger insisted with a huff. "I just think it'd be better if someone were keepin' an eye on you."

"Awww," Jack mocked, using a goofy voice. "Will that make you _feel _better?"

"Yes." Henrik spat coldly.

"_Fine…_ we'll head back together." The older turned his attention to the others around the fire and smiled, throwing them a lazy wave. "Night, guys."

* * *

The boys marched back to the cabin in complete silence.

Jack walked ahead of Henrik with a skip in his step and a smug little grin across his face that he wanted to punch off. He hummed a small tune in the back of his throat that echoed along the dim-lit path and peeked back at his friend every once in a while, as if to make sure he were still there. It was a fairly long walk from the clearing to the cabin, with paths that winded through the woods and brush. However, they made it back in good time, sighing with relief at the realization that they didn't have to walk any longer.

The older stepped forward and tugged on the door handle. The frame rumbled but didn't budge. Jack shrugged. "Guess no one's back yet."

Henrik tried at the door himself, to no avail. He sighed. "Head back to the Rec Room, then?"

"Ugh… more walking…"

The younger rolled his eyes with a huff. "Man up. It's not even that far away."

* * *

By the time they reached the Rec Room, it was already 10:50pm.

They stumbled into the door and Jack groaned tiredly from the walk. The others greeted them from the Ping-Pong table, mocking Jack for returning despite his claims to go to bed. He shrugged off their laughs and jests, hurrying over to the group with a smirk. Henrik opted to sit out, plopping himself on one of the couches beside Astrid. They chatted for a while, tittering about various kind of dragons they'd read about over the years. As it turned out, Astrid had read the same book of dragons that he kept in his room once, and claimed her favorite kind was the Deadly Nadder. Henrik smiled. She knew just as much about dragons as he did, and it seemed like she _really _found them interesting.

When he mentioned his favorite to be the Night Fury, Astrid agreed and commented about how cool they were. Both of them went off about which kinds went faster, and what kinds they would _not _want to run into. She mentioned something about a Skrill, which Henrik didn't particularly remember reading about, so he listened intently as she explained its stats. Overall, Astrid was really cool. She laughed at all of his jokes (even the _lame _ones that weren't exactly funny) and she knew a lot about dragons. Not to mention she was _really _pretty, with ambitious blue eyes and a wonderful smile that knocked Henrik off his feet.

It seemed like Jack was doing pretty well without him; him and Snotlout were in an _intense _game of Say Uncle, with Jack in a tight headlock and Snotlout getting kicked in the gut repeatedly. The other boys crowded around them, cheering them on in a roar of indistinct cheers and growls. Astrid rolled her eyes. "No offense, but Jack's kind of uh…"

"Stupid beyond belief?" Henrik supplied.

"I was gonna say completely brain-dead," she chuckled. "But… yeah."

"Eh, he's a goofball," he shrugged with a smile. "But Jack's cool."

"You guys are pretty close, huh?"

"Yeah." Henrik thought for a moment, smiling a bit. "He's my best friend."

Astrid grinned softly, as if she understood the sentiment. "That's really sweet. Ruff and I have known each other for a while, too. Wouldn't call her my _best _friend but…" she sighed. "We're pretty close, too."

"It seems like you're pretty popular at school."

"I guess," she shrugged as if she hadn't really thought about it. "Mostly the jocky guys, and a couple of chicks but they're pretty stupid. Can't really talk to them very much, you know? Usually if I say _anything _about dragons to them, they laugh or call it lame."

Henrik scoffed. "Dragons aren't _lame. _They're cool…"

"Right?" she laughed, throwing him a smile that made his heart pang. "You're really interesting, Hiccup."

He cringed a bit. His nickname sounded… _weird _out of her mouth; uncomfortable, considering it was Jack's thing.

"Er… it's Henrik," he corrected shyly.

She blinked curiously. "I… thought you went by Hiccup. Or at least, Jack keeps callin' you that."

"Yeah, cause Jack's kind of a dork," he chuckled. "I'd… rather not lump you into the same category, ya' know?"

"Ah. Gotcha." She thought for a minute. "I like it, though. Henrik suits you."

There wasn't anything _particularly _embarrassing or flattering about her comment, but Henrik felt his cheeks flush a deep red at it. He gulped, bowing his head shyly. Across the room, Snotlout finally screamed Uncle and Jack leaped off his back with a victorious holler. The pudgier brunet protested that "he wasn't ready" and that the light "got into his eyes" so it wasn't a fair fight. The other booed, while cocky little Jack offered a rematch to even the playing field.

Just before one of them could throw the first punch, the lights flickered off, filling the room with darkness.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Semi-cliff hanger, I guess? This was hitting around 8,000 words so I decided to trim it. Sorry again for the late update, I'll get back on the ball! Thank you for the reviews and likes on Tumblr!


	19. Cheer Up, Boys!

**Author's Note: **So this took me forever to write and I apologize for that. Continuation of the last chapter and a bit of feels/fluff. Jack's developing in this one and his relationship with Hiccup is too, _huzzah_. As a side note, LightMyBulb pointed out that I had their grades wrong for the summer (ages are right but I wasn't sure whether to put 6th or 7th) so those have been fixed. The title is a Foo Fighters song that I like.

**Basic Overview: **Jack has yet to learn that it's all fun and games until someone gets hurt.

**Point of View: **3rd person: Jack/Hiccup alternation

**Warnings: **Hicstrid. _Some_ out-of-characterness? I'm not sure.

**Age Reminder: **Jack is 12 (7th grade); Hiccup is 11 (7th grade); Emma is 10 (5th grade)

* * *

**Chapter 18: **Cheer Up, Boys (Your Make up is Running)

**July 4****th**

**Night of Independence Day**

* * *

The lights flickered out, filling the Rec Room with a thick darkness.

No one made a sound, and no one made a move; Henrik listened closely but all he could hear were the usual bullfrog croaks and cicada cries outside the windows. A couple of the others shifted around (presumably the other boys were untangling from each other), making tiny scuffs of their sandals against the wooden floors. Astrid hadn't even jumped when they went out. She merely crossed her arms and scooted a bit closer to him with a quiet "Seriously?". He tried to pay it little attention and focused on the matter at hand (though admittedly, his heart leapt when their shoulders touched again).

A shriek echoed through the room. Henrik jumped at the sound. Astrid shifted again beside him.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa calm down ladies. We're here to protect you." Jack laughed from across the room.

"Oh shut up," Astrid scoffed. "That wasn't me. Ruff?"

"Not me. Tuff?"

"S-s-s-s-s-something just brushed my leg!" Tuffnut screeched, his voice screechy and shattered.

"That was _me_, you pansy_._" Snotlout snorted, jerking his knee to the side as if to demonstrate.

Jack chuckled distantly. "Dude, was that _you _screaming?"

The dirty blond stuttered for a lie. "N-n-n…ooo of course not."

"No way," Ruffnut cackled. "Tuff screams like a _girl!_"

"Sh-sh-shut up, it just caught me off guard, man."

Jack sniggered. "Wimp."

"Alright, this has been _real _funny, Jack," Astrid groaned. "You can turn on the lights now."

"Hey, it's not me, Astrid."

"Yeah right," she jeered, elbowing Henrik. "It's probably just one of his stupid pranks."

"It's not! I swear!" Jack chuckled. "Hey, would someone hit the lights already?"

"Got it!" Jamie assured, hopping across the room with light pitter-patters. He shimmied past Henrik and Astrid, finally reaching the switch. With a click, the lights returned and returned the room to its previous state. Tuffnut sighed heavily, rubbing his forehead with his hand while Ruffnut choked back a laugh beside him. They elbowed each other, while Snotlout leaned against the wall and Jack threw Astrid a glance before turning his attention to Jamie. He thanked the boy, and everyone returned to their own separate activities.

Somewhere between a round of Extreme Red Rover (if you're wondering what makes it extreme, it's the remarkable lack of rules_; _so you can bite, kick, and punch all you'd like) and a Ping-Pong tournament, the lights flickered once more. Passing glints of darkness blinded everyone in the room at random, until – once _again_, to Henrik's annoyance – they completely flickered out. Everyone groaned in protest, and Snotlout took the liberty of dramatically tossing his paddle onto the floor with a huff. Astrid _particularly _seemed irritated, though; by the way she rolled her eyes and complained with each flicker. Henrik tried not to laugh at her trivial grumbles.

"_Jack,_" Astrid grunted. "Knock it off with the lights."

He deadpanned. "Am I anywhere even _remotely _close to the light switch?"

She glanced over to the right side of the room and noted the distance. Henrik snorted.

"_Sheesh!_" Jack chuckled. "Anything _else _you'd like to blame me for? Global warming, maybe?"

Henrik could feel her stand up and heard her stomp across the room to smack him in the face. He choked back a laugh at the sound of Jack's muffled "Ouch!"

"So like, what the heck are we supposed to _do?_" Tuffnut chimed in. "It's not even 11 yet and Dagur probably ditched us."

_Probably, _Henrik rolled his eyes. The notion didn't surprise him in the least bit.

"Anybody got a flashlight?" Jamie asked. "We could play a game."

"What _game, _Jamie? It's pitch black in here!'

The younger shrugged. "Beats me..."

"May as well head back to the cabin, then, since I kinda got nothin' and the lights ar—"

Something knocked against the walls, toppling over various objects and a couple of spare oars in the corner with a loud _clunk. _The group fell silent, presumably holding their breath as a _horrid _dragging noise crept along the four walls of the Rec Room. Tuffnut whimpered quietly on the other side of the room, while Henrik's entire body tensed at the sound as it hit the glass of the window. Everyone groaned, plugging their ears as it crescendoed to an abrupt finale.

"What the _heck_ was that?!" Snotlout complained, stepping into the light to observe the window. Henrik followed, noting the five elongated scratches along the glass. It was weird, like talons ripped across it or someone took a sharpened tree branch and swung it against the window.

"_Duuuudeee…_" Ruffnut marveled at the slashes, running her finger along a particularly wide one that Henrik had dubbed the thumb nail's work. "…you think whatever it was is big?"

Astrid rolled her eyes, throwing the older brunet a glare. "_I _think 'it's' annoying and 4"9."

"4"_11,_" Jack corrected. "And you _seriously _think I'd go to all this trouble of pulling an _awesome _prank and _not _letting you know it was me who did it?"

Henrik shrugged. "He's… got a point."

"W-what if it's the Boogeyman?" Snotlout shuddered.

His sister laughed at the notion. "Then I wanna _poke _him!"

Tuffnut gulped. "Y-You really think it's him?"

"Don't ask me, _Jack's _the expert!"

Henrik glanced over at his friend's silhouette. The older boy threw him a smile and shook his head. "You guys are a bunch of babies, ya' know that?"

Giving the younger brunet a quick wink, he strolled over to the front entrance and tossed open the door with a dramatic flick of his wrist. He stepped outside and glanced around, looking back at his cabin mates with the _greatest _"See what I mean?" expression on his face. He threw up his arms and sighed, crossing them shortly after with a cocky little smirk Henrik would probably smack off if it were directed at him. "See?" Jack chided, skipping in a circle casually as if to alert them that the coast was clear. "I made the whole thing up, you _pansies_!"

Snotlout's shoulders sank in defeat as Tuffnut sighed with relief. Astrid leaned over and whispered, "I _knew _it."

"Man you guys'll believe _anything,_" he sniggered triumphantly. "There's _no _such thing as the Boogeyma—"

The door slammed shut loudly. Everyone jumped back as that _dragging _returned and a scream echoed through the air. Admittedly, Henrik flinched. His entire body tensed and froze while his eyes widened from the initial shock. Glancing around, the others shared similar reactions (though Tuffnut's was rather mobile; _wow _he was shaking like a leaf!). For a moment, no one dared to move a muscle as Jack's voice trailed and the dragging crept along the farthest wall. An elbow knocked into Henrik's side.

"_Well?!_" Astrid yelled. "Don't just sit there, open it, open it!"

"R-right!" he stuttered, hurrying forward to reopen the door. He flung it open and everyone piled onto the grass, gasping at Jack's sudden absence and the scratch marks along the Rec Room's outside walls. The freckled brunet gulped, a shudder raking along his spine. If this was one of Jack's pranks like Astrid had previously insisted, he would _definitely _have to give him a pat on the back for this little trick (since he was _actually _on the verge of panicking).

"O-oh gods," Snotlout stuttered, making his way along the wall to point out 10 elongated drag marks in the dirt. He jumped up and down out of fright, flailing his arms. "I-I-It _ate_ Overland!"

Ruffnut gaped from behind him, beside Tuffnut who was trembling in a rather wimpy manner. "I say we _catch _the Boogeyman!"

"Are you _nuts?!_" Jamie interjected with an indignant scowl. "Wh-what if he eats us too!?"

Astrid forced a laugh. "S-so much for Jack being the expert."

Henrik gulped. "Wh-what do we do?"

"I-I-I-I say we find Dagur!" Snotlout suggested, earning him a series of _nasty _glares. "..What?"

Astrid cleared her throat, regaining her composure with a single, deep breath. "W-we should go back to the cabin and find one of the counselors!"

"And tell them _what_?" Henrik commented.

She narrowed her eyes. "Hey, you got any _better_ ideas?"

Nothing particularly came to mind, other than to hide and pray to the gods they didn't get found. Henrik opened and closed his mouth a few times, every fleeting idea in his head silenced by Astrid's deadpan expression. He chuckled nervously.

"…so _which _cabin are we making a break for?"

* * *

A large cluster of whimpering idiots fled from the Rec Room and swung across the clearing, presumably heading for the dirt road.

They buzzed fearfully with ideas and inquiries as to whether or not they were going to die, while Astrid played leader and shushed them into submission. No one strayed from their little group that almost reminded Jack of those Spartan armadas he'd seen on TV once; they walked shoulder to shoulder with their arms curled inward so the alleged "Boogeyman" would have nothing to grab. The mischievous brunet sniggered, shifting from his crouched position behind the Rec Room to stand. _Wow, _what a bunch of babies!

Jack choked back a laugh as their voices trailed; his amusement was particularly induced by Snotlout's wimpy snivels about being too "young and beautiful" to get eaten. The _second _he was sure they were too far away to hear him, he rolled back onto the dirt and laughed loudly, tossing his head back as his belly burst with amusement. This was _rich! _Probably his best trick ever, if he _did _say so himself; it seemed like he even got _Hiccup _nervous (which was _quite _an achievement, really) and Astrid wound-up enough to give her a good scare.

It was pretty simple stuff, too; a thin string on the doorknob Sandy could _easily _tug back and a bunch of sticks to make drag marks along the walls and dirt. He probably could of thought of this in his _sleep; _it wasn't even the _best _he could do and the others were blubbering like babies! How great is that? Though admittedly, part of him felt _bad _for tricking the others so cruelly – _especially _Hiccup. But the lesser yet more _dominant _minority in his mind knew he'd barely gotten started. Now that he had the _suckers _in the palm of his hand, how could he turn up a _perfect _pranking opportunity? That'd just be silly. A waste. And Jack would _not _have it.

Was it a mean joke? Yeah… probably. Did he plan on cutting it to a close any time soon? Absolutely _not._

As the roar of laughter retarded, his hearing heightened once more to the sound of his companion's frequent coughing. He sat up properly and cleared his throat, regaining his composure before turning to address his friend properly. Jack grinned, patting the blond on the shoulder. "Dude, did you see the look on their _faces_?"

Sandy nodded with a few more coughs, his smile wide and toothy.

"Oh man!" he cackled, chest heaving for air with a twinge of discomfort. "This is _gold!_"

The mute boy nodded once more, clutching his chest as he took a deep breath, forcing back his smile. Jack followed his example, letting his laughter die down so he could breathe properly. Shaking his head back and forth, he stumbled onto his knees and pushed himself up to stand, offering the shorter boy a hand. Once Sandy was up, he peeked around the corner and noted the empty clearing with a grin.

"So~" Jack turned to Sandy with a devious grin. "You catch which way they headed?"

The blond nodded, shuffling over to the grassy area. He pointed down toward the dimly-lit dirt road, where a plethora of trees hugged the sides and the path thinned as it wove down a slight incline. Jack grinned, immediately registering just _where _it was they were going and _exactly _what he planned on doing when they got there. He turned to his new, mute friend with a smug little smirk. "Whaddaya think, Sandy? _One _more scare before the 'Boogeyman' calls it quits?"

Sandy returned his grin, making a small gesture with his hand signaling for Jack to get a move on already.

* * *

"So… lemme see if I have this straight… you're trying to tell me the _Boogeyman _ate Jack."

Dagur's expression sank from sarcastic amusement to a disbelieving scowl that screamed "are you serious" as the huddle of campers hurriedly affirmed his statement, arms flailing wildly as verifications pounded through the air. He rubbed at his temples with a sickened sigh, eyebrows furrowing beneath a few ginger tuffs carefully tucked beneath his hat. As the frantic comments crescendoed, he practically _shook _with irritation until he finally snapped at everyone to shut up. Henrik jumped a bit at the sound.

"Alright, alright calm the fuck down for like, a minute, would ya'?" he groaned, lolling his head back dramatically before snapping it back into place. "Look, I dunno what kinda _game _it is you're playin', or if this is one of your shitty pranks, but it's lights out." Dagur gestured toward the wooden clock hanging off the cabin wall. "Eleven pm, see? We're headin' back to the cabin. _Now."_

Jamie stepped forward, his expression laced with genuine concern. "But what about Jack?"

He snorted. "What _about _him?"

"Sh-shouldn't we like… help him or something?"

"Are you _still _on that Boogeyman crap?" Dagur _immediately_ glared at Henrik. "Where'd your boyfriend go, crip? And I want the _truth._"

"I-It's like they said, he just disappeared." The freckled preteen gulped nervously, the 'boyfriend' crack not quite registering until after he spoke.

They eyed each other for a minute before the counselor shrugged and stumbled back a bit, throwing up his arms in mock-defeat. "_Oh _well. You don't tell, I won't tell."

"_Daniel!" _

Everyone jumped at the scolding, feminine voice. Looking over, Henrik noticed Tooth standing in the bunk room's doorway with her hands placed firmly on her hips. Her eyes narrowed (were her eyes _seriously _pink?) and her lips twitched into a frown. Dagur jumped a bit when she initially spoke, but fumbled to regain his composure as she marched forward. "O-Oh, hey Ann…" he swallowed nervously as she came closer. "I was just uh… doin' a headcount on the… the campers."

Henrik choked back a laugh. To think the tattooed, towering idiotwas _this _afraid of a 5"4, rainbow-haired dentist-to-be amused him in a way.

"Yeah?" She glanced over for a minute, eying the group rather quickly and snapping her head back to glare at the older teen. Tooth grinned in a way that _hardly _seemed genuine. "Well, you're missing two."

"Two?"

Tooth nodded, crossing her arms. Dagur looked over and counted under his breath, mumbling each number until he halted. He glanced nervously between the group and Tooth. "…oh right. Jack and the uh… the quiet one."

Henrik looked around as well. It didn't even cross his mind that Sandy wasn't with them.

"Yeah," the colorful counselor affirmed his comment, nodding towards the door with a smug, toothy grin. "Might want to go take care of that, _huh?_"

Dagur gulped, nodding anxiously. "U-uh. Yeah." He sighed, turning to the group of boys as he pursed his lips. "Any… any ideas where they might be?"

"Probably in the Boogeyman's stomach." Tuffnut commented from the back.

Ruffnut snorted. "Uh… does the Boogeyman even _have _a stomach?"

"Do we have any _other _ideas?" the tattooed counselor gritted his teeth, _clearly _fighting back the urge to yell. "Possibly less…" he glanced at Tooth who raised an eyebrow. "…_imaginative _ones?"

"Last place we saw Jack was by the Rec Room," Henrik chimed in quietly. "I-I don't think I've seen Sandy since this morning."

"_Thank you,_" Tooth smiled at him sweetly, whipping around to throw Dagur another death-glare.

He gulped audibly, stumbling toward the front entrance to lead everyone out.

* * *

Dagur broke the group into pairs while he "supervised" from the top of the hill.

Astrid decided to tag along, so she and Henrik paired up together to cover the wooded paths. Snotlout and Tuffnut swept through the Rec Room again, as well as the clear paths leading around the grounds toward the other cabins. Jamie opted to wait with Tooth (she absolutely _refused _to let him search on his own) and the girls of the Lakeside cabin. Their orders were pretty straight forward; look around the camp for Jack and Sandy, and bring them back when/if they found them. Astrid made a point that _if _this turned out to be a prank like she half-expected, she'd beat Jack into a new race. Henrik snorted at the notion; he _really _hoped (for Jack's sake) he was dead. Jokingly, of course.

There was a certain concern for his best friend that made itself evident, though. As they wove through dimly-light, forested trails he found himself wondering if Jack really _had _gotten hurt. The two of them called out his name as they neared a circular dead-end, gaining only silence in response. Worry bubbled in his stomach, forming a certain nausea that nearly echoed a familiar panic. Astrid suggested they head back and swing down another road, so they spun through the woods once more until the lake came into sight.

Now don't get me wrong; Henrik was worried, but he wasn't _stupid. _Of _course_ he knew Jack's story was stupid, and he _knew _there was no Boogeyman, or monsters, or _anything _like that; it was just some lame-ass story Jack made up on the fly just to freak him out while he pulled this little disappearing act. It was a prank – and a hasty one, at that. The reassurance that any alleged "danger" Jack might find was completely fabricated _certainly _comforted Henrik to an extent, but didn't ease the unsettling worry in the pit of his belly.

If this was a prank, it meant that Jack was alone somewhere – and if there was anything to worry about, it was _that _sole fact.

Sure, it was pretty stupid of Henrik to worry, but could you blame him? He _knew _how much loneliness bothered the older boy; the memory of Jack's whimpering form on a Halloween's night played back clearly in his mind at the thought. If anything, he wasn't scared of some alleged Boogeyman or whatever; he was _far _moreconcerned for his friend's well-being than his own. His thoughts trailed wildly, until his pace slowed to much that it seemed Astrid was about a mile ahead of him. With a few metallic clicks against the dirt, Henrik hurried forward to catch up.

"Some night, huh?" She sighed, brushing a stray hair from her eyes. "Fireworks and a hunt for the Boogeyman…"

Henrik sniggered. "Yeah, it's been pretty crazy. Next thing you know we'll be hunting down Big Foot or something."

Okay, wow. _Wow. _He wanted to smack himself for that lousy crack, despite how much it made Astrid giggle. She shook her head with a smile that beamed even in the darkness, dim blue eyes glancing at him in quick bursts of impulse. The freckled preteen gulped. _How _was it that the low lighting just made her seem prettier? He could hardly see her face but she was _still _gorgeous, if not _more _so than usual!

She took a deep breath, exhaling sharply before stopping in her tracks with her head lowered. "…hey, Henrik?"

He halted alongside her, noting her suddenly tenser stance and the way her hair (even braided) sort of fell _perfectly _along her shoulder and – Crap._ Focus_, Henrik she's freaking _talking _to you!

Henrik cleared his throat, fighting back any stray thoughts in his head. "Uh… y-yeah?"

"Er…" Astrid chuckled, shaking her head a bit as if she were shaking thoughts of her own. "…you're gonna think this is stupid–"

"No, no, really it's cool!" He interjected _too _quickly than he intended, in a way that sort of came across as desperate. He mentally smacked himself yet _again. _"Wh-what is it?"

Turning to face him with a sheepish grin, the blond girl rubbed at the back of her neck with a sigh. "Y-you… don't uh… you don't think it's… _actually _the Boogeyman, do you?"

Henrik's mind blanked for a minute. To be completely honest, he wasn't aware someone like _Astrid _could be afraid. He wasn't really sure if that was uncomfortably weird or strangely cute. And – weirdly enough – a part of his mind kept barking at him to make a move or to comfort her or… I don't know do _something _so the opportunity wouldn't slip away from him. Taking the chance of doing something stupid – and note that this was probably _really _stupid, considering he didn't have a smooth bone in his body – he shrugged and breathed out, awkwardly stepping closer to her to put a hand on her shoulder. She smiled at the notion, and he tried to pretend it didn't completely knock the breath out of him.

"I-I'm sure we'll be f-fine," Henrik reassured, mentally cursing whatever _god _out there gave him that horrible stutter. Thankfully it didn't seem like she minded too much. "W-we just gotta head back to the others and–"

A twig snapped nearby. Both of them jumped at the sound and whipped around to look in the offending sound's direction. Darkness crept along the forested sidelines, cascading shadows across every subtle crevice of the long-forgotten path. Astrid and Henrik glanced at each other, as if to silently affirm that the other had heard it. They slowly stepped back, being careful not to make any sudden movements or noises that would attract a possible predator's attention. Of course, stealth proved to be a skill Henrik was lacking in, as every clumsy backward shimmy resulted in a metallic creak. He cursed the _stupid _leg under his breath.

"Wh-what was that?" he whispered, leaning over without removing his eyes from the same dark spot.

Astrid shushed him with a finger over his lips. "Listen."

Sure enough, another twig snapped behind them. Henrik jumped a bit, while Astrid instinctively turned to face the sound with her fists firmly raised, as if she were ready to _fight _whatever was coming. Every gust of wind that rolled by rustled bushes, sending them into a horridly gradual panic. Subtle, miniscule echoes floated in all different directions, ranging from the crunch of leaves beneath _heavy _footsteps to louder, more obvious crackling as if something were moving closer – and it was moving _fast. _The blond preteen's confident fighting stance faltered a little, her expression teetering between hastily forged bravery and complete terror. Henrik knew the look all too well, and he was _positive _he wore the same one himself.

The latter emotion quickly took shape as an impulse once a figure made itself known further down the path.

At first, neither of them made a movement to run. Astrid's fists curled toward her more, awkwardly bumping her chest in the process (no, Henrik was not looking _shut up_) as her confident ready-to-take-this-on stance shifted into one of complete and utter fear. Henrik felt his limbs tense. The shadowy figure (looking oddly… _short_ for some alleged monster of the night, though that might have been perspective and distance at work) strided closer at a snail's pace, each step dragging slower than the last until neither of the preteens could take the anticipation anymore.

So purely out of instinct, Astrid latched onto Henrik's hand with her own (which _really _wasn't helping out his pulse situation) and they made a break for it, screaming bloody murder down the path.

* * *

Never had Henrik been _so _glad to see lake water and grass in his entire life.

By the time they hit the end of the seemingly _endless _path, the two of them were gasping for air, hunched over as their chests heaved. Henrik ended up keeling over and landed on the grass fast-first, his entire body shot from its fleeting adrenaline rush. He groaned, rolling onto his back with a bit of difficulty. Astrid straightened her back and panted, looking over at him with a concerned expression. "You… okay…?" she managed to get out between inhalations.

He simply nodded, still fumbling for air. "I think… I'm done e-exercising… for like… a year or two."

She laughed beneath breaths. "Did... did you freaking see it… coming right at us?"

"Tried… _really hard_… notto!"

"_Crap_!" Astrid all but yelled, throwing her head back in disbelief. Henrik wasn't entirely sure _why _she was smiling at the moment but he tried not to focus on it too much. Her breathing steadied after a moment, so she offered him a hand. "You think it was really the Boogeyman?"

He stood with her assistance, wobbling on his legs a bit. "I-I don't know, and I _don't _think I wanna find out."

Stray footsteps echoed through the air once more, muffled beneath the distant ripples of the lake. Astrid's eyes immediately shot open at the sound, widening in fear when _something _shuffled down the dirt road and strided toward them. Henrik sat up, glancing over at the approaching silhouette with his own fearful expression; what _looked _like an arm reached out toward them. Astrid stumbled backward, toppling over onto her butt and scooting closer to him almost _immediately _as she desperately glanced around for _some _way to escape. Upon finding nothing, she threw an arm around Henrik's shoulders clinging to him _tightly _as the figure loomed over them menacingly.

Well, at least if they were going to die, Henrik had the pleasure of having Astrid cling to him for dear life.

They clenched their eyes closed tightly as a dark hand clawed forward. The blonde preteen scooped up a nearby rock and clumsily flung it forward, nailing the alleged Boogeyman in the gut.

A voice hollered. "OW!"

Wait a minute. _Wait a friggin' minute. _Henrik knew that voice anywhere.

"…_Jack?!_"

A black veil fell limply like fabric to the ground, ruffling chocolate spikes in the process. They sprung into their familiar places as a pair of blue eyes narrowed, the lips beneath them curving into a slight scowl as a gloved hand clutched at his belly. Henrik furrowed his eyebrows, the fleeting terror in his belly _quickly _replaced by blinding rage. He knew it. He freaking knew it _all _along, did he not?! Luckily enough, Astrid seemed even _madder _than he was. The look on her face was nothing short of murder. Jack roared with laughter, tossing his head back with a cocky little grin he had half a mind to smack off his face.

"You guys had to see your _faces!_" he snickered, clutching his gut. "Crap, Hic! I can't even breathe!"

He rolled his eyes, rubbing at his temples a bit to lessen the headache he _knew _was coming.

"Jig's up, Sandy!" Jack called out, cupping a hand beside his mouth to amplify the sound. "We're busted!"

From the bushes a set spikey blond locks popped out, until Sandy finally crawled out from his hiding spot and hobbled over with a few stray coughs Henrik registered as laughs.

The freckled preteen's shoulders sank a bit. "_Really_ Sandy? You too?"

Sandy shrugged apologetically, throwing him a crooked smile.

"That was _too _good," Jack shook his head back and forth. "I bet Snotface is still sniveling like a bab—"

His voice trailed when Astrid punched him in the face. He stumbled back a bit and she pummeled his arms with a series of rough blows. Jack whimpered a bit, still fighting back his laughter.

"You jack-ass!" she yelled, smacking him in the back of the head. "You scared me half to _death!_"

"Ow! Hey!" he cried out amidst Astrid's barrage of punches. Somewhere beneath them, a laugh echoed. "Hic, call her off!"

Henrik threw up his hands with a smile. "You're on your own, man."

* * *

The night of July 4th marked the prank war's end, with Jack as its victor.

Of course, its conclusion came out of Dagur's annoyance and their cabin members' unwillingness to trifle with the ever-so-esteemed "mischief king". The trio made their returns to their respective cabins in complete silence; Jack's smile failed to waver, while Astrid and Henrik could hardly _look _at him without scowling. When the two boys regrouped with the others, Dagur sighed with both annoyance and relief, while Tuffnut, Snotlout, and Jamie all marveled that Jack had returned. Taking a moment to bask in his sudden fame, the older brunet explained his ingenious plot, earning a few sniggers from Tuffnut about how cool it was and a hardy denial from Snotlout that he was _ever _afraid at all. Jamie just seemed glad he showed up, to be frank.

From weaving his tale of trickery, Dagur caught onto Jack's mischievous plot and declared the prank war had ended. He seemed _especially _pissed off at him (then again, Henrik was pretty mad at him too) for nearly getting him in trouble with Tooth, and marched everyone back to the cabin single-file. The bunk room was rather quiet that night, since the tattooed teen had declared lights-out the _second _they stepped in the door. After a few hours of an eerie loneliness and inability to keep his eyes shut for more than 5 seconds, Henrik ended up climbing up to Jack's bunk for the night (shut up he was _totally _not still a little scared). He curled up beside him – making _sure _not to face him – earning a few wise-cracks from his friend that shifted into a yelp when he smacked him in the back and shut his eyes.

In the end, the amount of sleep he got compared to the amount of gay jokes Snotlout made was _nothing. _He probably would've just been better off not sleeping on his own bunk. But whatever...

The next day they suffered another meeting in the auditorium regarding proper behavior and the definition of a "curfew". For the most part, they kept it pretty straight-forward and their examples… _anonymous,_ but it was obvious that the trouble cabin was their _intended _audience. Ironically enough, Jack ended up falling asleep for most of it. He woke up when Henrik accidentally elbowed him in the arm (it may _not _have been an accident, though) with a quick jerk and confused grumble. The activities that followed the meeting were arts & crafts that no one really bothered with (Emma and some of the younger kids aside), as well as an optional movie showing in the auditorium later that night. Henrik and Jack ended up going just for the fun of it, but the projector broke down so that ended up being a bust. They opted to talk idly until it was time to walk back.

July 5th was a pretty fun day, since the counselors planned to take everyone canoeing for an hour or two. Dagur had the displeasure of canoeing with Snotlout, since everyone else in the cabin paired up before he could get a pick. Oh man; the look on his face when the pudgy brunet climbed into his boat was _priceless! _Henrik didn't even _try _to contain his laughter at their counselor's overwhelming irritation. Considering they were the _trouble _cabin, there were a sparse amount of accidents or stupid mistakes. Everyone seemed pretty focused on not flipping over the canoes, so their attention had been redirected in another direction.

Really, the worst it got were Henrik and Jack paddling in circles for a good thirty minutes or so, yelling at the other to paddle the other way but only hindering their movements further. Jack seemed _insistent _that they both row to the left, while Henrik was _positive _that they were supposed to move in opposite directions. Their bickering left them sitting in the same spot in a playful screaming match (I use the word playful loosely, since Henrik was _pretty _dang annoyed) that ended with both of them getting left behind the group. When they could _hardly _make out the others' silhouettes on the horizon, Jack gave up on rowing, kicked off his shoes, tugged off his shirt, and jumped into the shallower part of the lake (not quite the shore, but deep enough so he could stand). The freckled brunet opted to the smart thing and wait for the others to return.

Dagur returned on shore, dragging his and Snotlout's canoe in his dripping hands back onto the nearby rack with a scowl. Apparently, some of the girls had gone canoeing too, and Snotlout was gawking at them so shamelessly that he leaned over too far, tipping _both _of them over. To say the least, Dagur _hardly _seemed pleased while the pudgy brunet was doing all he could to suck up to him again. Jack ended up pushing Henrik in the canoe until he hit the dock, and climbed back up so he could dry off. Dinner was a few hours after, so everyone piled into the Mess Hall for food.

It was another quiet night, with lights out at the usual 10pm (for everyone that _wasn't _in the trouble cabin, 11pm). Jack had to shower to get some of the dirt and seaweed out of his hair, so for once him and Henrik's bunk didn't stink in ungodly ways.

* * *

**July 6****th**

* * *

Another burst of humidity hit Pennsylvania the afternoon of July 6th, so the counselors took their cabins on hikes through the mountains.

Naturally, Dagur assumed the worst for the trouble cabin. Before they could even set foot outside - let _alone_ leave their beds in the morning - the tattooed counselor set a "no mischief" decree in action. The punishment wasn't particularly specified (as usual), but Dagur _insisted _that disobedience would be unwise, leaving the boys to their own horrid imaginations. Everyone opted to save their showers for _after_ the hike and suited up rather quickly. Hiccup tugged on a loose pair of camouflage shorts and a brown t-shirt (a tribal sort-of dragon on the front, as usual) while Jack opted for a blue tank top and a pair of plain brown shorts.

Hiccup was the only one smart enough to bring bug spray, so as they trudged by the lake the other boys groaned and smacked their arms with a loud smack. He rolled his eyes at them, strolling beside Jack with a series of sniggers when even he was complaining about the bugs. After a few stops to tie shoes or catch their breath, the troublesome group marched into the woods on a poorly cleared path that seemed to narrowed as they pressed forward.

It was a decently long walk, winding through a labyrinth of paths that swirled around the hill and branched in all kinds of wild directions. Dagur occasionally stopped to point out certain landmarks and different trees or plants (with a rather disinterested voice, as if he only did so out of obligation), and noted where each alternate path they ignored led around the camp grounds. Snotlout tried to match the teen's pace, following him close with a childish awe on his face with everything Dagur said. Hiccup sniggered with every comment out of the boy's mouth; he was trying far too hard to impress him, and _man_ was it funny.

Jack and he finally got to hang out in a way, though Jamie tagged along as they strolled down the dirt road. They chatted about nothing in particular, mocking their counselor while he has his back turned (naturally they stopped when he whipped around to look at them) and making up silly scenarios they could bicker over for the duration of the hike (particularly the topic of who was faster; The Flash running or Superman flying?). Jamie chimed in his two cents every now and then, usually making Jack laugh with some sarcastic crack.

It was a pretty nice walk, with both boys chatting time away. They followed behind the others but paid them no mind, focusing on their own endeavors as usual. It made Jack happy, oddly enough; with Hiccup being a constant flirt and the whole "prank war" incident, it felt like they haven't really been able to talk like this in a while. Of course, a while only equated to a week or so, but it was nice all the same.

As they neared a path that curved downward, Jack stepped forward the wrong way and twisted his ankle pretty bad. His initial reaction was to brush it off as nothing when Hiccup asked if he was alright, but the further they walked the sharper the pain got. He unconsciously limped a bit, favoring it to ease the dull ache that came as a result of placing weight on the twist.

Hiccup must have noticed him walking funny, since he stopped Jack in his tracks and his smile sank. "Are you sure you're okay?" he asked quietly. "You're limping a lot…"

Jack threw him a thumbs-up and forced himself to stand upright, wincing a bit when weight hit his ankle. "Yeah man, I'm good. Just kinda pinches is all, no big deal."

The freckled brunet raised an eyebrow, giving Jack a look that hardly resembled belief. The older brunet sighed. _Clearly_ he couldn't be persuaded.

"I'm fine, 'kay?" Jack smiled at his friend's concern, and patted the top of his head as if to reassure him. "Hey, I'm gonna ask to head back. Kinda stings a little."

Hiccup nodded, smiling up at him. "Alright. Be careful."

"Nothin' I can't handle."

He ran forward and tugged on the back of Dagur's shirt to catch his attention. The tattooed teen looked back, raising an eyebrow and scoffing when he noticed Jack looking up at him. "Oh. You. What do you want?"

"Uh…" Jack blanked for a minute, shaking his head back and forth as if it's jog his memory. "I twisted my ankle."

"…and?"

He furrowed his eyebrows. "Can I like... head back?"

Dagur groaned. "I guess I'll bring you back to Ann or somethin'. Ugh. Just don't expect me to carry you. "

Jack nodded, and before they turned to head back down the path, Dagur turned to the other campers with a scowl. He yelled back, "I'm bringin' Jack back to the cabin. It'll probably take me like… I dunno. Twenty minutes?" he glanced at his watch and nodded. "Yeah. Twenty. So none of you little shits are allowed to move from this spot, got it?"

The boys nodded. "Yes, Dagur."

"Good," he grunted, returning to Jack's side. With a nudge to his arm, they started back for the cabin.

* * *

Jack ended up spending some time with Emma, much to his delight.

Dagur's original plan to drop him off at the cabin ended up crapping out when Tooth spotted them and asked about the other campers. She seemed absolutely _outraged _that he left them in the woods by themselves, so she offered to keep an eye on Jack while he went back for them. As it turns out, Astrid wasn't the only familiar face under Tooth's supervision; Emma was in the same cabin as her and Ruffnut, and it seemed like the three of them were pretty chummy. Unfortunately for him, the girls were in the middle of learning how to make lanyards, so the colorful counselor handed him a series of strings and showed him how to weave them together properly. Hers came out as a rainbow of colors that wove together in the _coolest _pattern; meanwhile, Jack's just kind of looked like a bunch of blue twists and green knots. Emma came to his rescue, though, and fixed it for him.

He got to talk to her for the first time in a _while, _mostly about her misadventures around the camp and Jack's own antics. There was a warm laughter between them that felt so foreign after what felt like years of silence (really it wasn't that long, but _dang _the guilt ate at him inside), but delightfully welcome. Maybe it was the possibility of forgiveness that made him so happy, but Jack tried not to focus on it; rather, he enjoyed every second he got to bond all over again with his sister.

The trouble cabin marched back in about an hour later, when a few of the girls ended up just lying in the grass and goofing around (Jack and Emma included, of course). Dark, rather _large _clouds loomed overhead, and a distant roar bellowed through the air. Tooth ushered everyone up the hill so they could hang out in the Rec Room before it started to rain, so Emma smiled at Jack, hugged him tightly, and ran up with the others. He strolled over to his own respective group, a smile wide on his face that seemed to match the grins of the other boys.

"How come _Jack _gets to hang out with all the chicks but when _I _ask it's creepy?" Snotlout sneered, glancing at Dagur with a genuinely curious expression.

"Because you _are _creepy, duh." Their counselor snorted. " 'sides, at least if he's bumming around here he ends up Ann's problem. _Not _mine."

The pudgy brunet nodded as if he understood, then furrowed his eyebrows as if Dagur's former comment had _just _registered. Jack chuckled at the sight.

Dagur sighed. "Speaking of Ann, I'm gonna check up on her. We're walking up to the Rec Room before the storm, so hurry up."

Everyone nodded and lumped together into a little group to head up the hill. Jack glanced around at his cabin mates, searching for a familiar set of freckles and green eyes but finding nothing. It didn't look like he was hiding behind Tuffnut, or shrugging beside Jamie. The brunet blinked a few times. He was _positive _that the little doofus had tagged along that afternoon.

"Uhh… _where's _Hiccup?" he asked, looking around a few more times just to be sure of his absence.

There was something unsettling about the way his cabin mates stopped to look each other and snigger.

"…what's so funny?"

Tuffnut looked up, and when Jack followed his eyes he noted Dagur's presence growing distant as he walked up the path. Snotlout leaned in close, looking from side to side before whispering gravely, "We ditched him back in the woods."

He and the blond cackled rather loudly, earning a shush from the larger of the two.

Strangely enough, Jack didn't find their comment funny at all. In fact, the notion _disgusted_ him in a way. His previous smile fell and his blue eyes narrowed in confusion. "What do you mean you _ditched _him?"

"He had his back turned," Tuffnut chimed in with a snigger. "So we made a break for it."

Jack's stomach turned when they laughed even _louder, _Snotlout tossing his head back in a fit and Tuffnut clutching his gut.

"What's funny about _that?_"

The laughter quieted slowly, both of them looking at him as if they were expecting Jack to fake his concern. When he didn't join in on the merriment, the two glanced at each other in utter confusion. Snotlout was the first to comment, as usual. "Aw come on, Overland!" he smacked his arm playfully with a grin. "It's just a _joke._"

"No, it's _not,_" Jack spat back at him, swatting his hand away. "Jokes are supposed to be funny. They're supposed to make _everyone_ laugh."

Tuffnut shrugged. "_We're _laughing."

"Well Hiccup's not," he countered. "And _I'm _not."

They stayed quiet. Jack could _feel _his temper flaring and thrashing wildly.

"You know that metal thing he's always got on? It's not _there _for show. He's only _got_ one good leg, guys!"

Someone gulped, but he was too _mad _to register who it was.

"What happens if he trips or something? Gets hurt and breaks somethin'? You think it's gonna be _easy _for him to walk back on his own?!"

"Jee, Overland," Snotlout mumbled. "Some bodyguard _you_ turned out to be, huh?"

His thoughts completely stopped dead in their tracks. It hadn't occurred to him that _he_ left Hiccup alone. _He _gave the others the impression that pulling a stupid stuntlike this was alright because of _his _dumb prank. _He _played his own part and shared the blame as much as the others, and if – no, when Hiccup got hurt (let's face it, the kid is a walking accident-magnet) it was going to be _his _fault. Jack screwed up again, and he screwed up _badly. _

Just like he always does.

The others gawked at him with guilty eyes that lowered to the ground. The pitter-patter of a light rain starting was the only sound between them. No one made a move to say or do anything to fix this, causing anger to bubble and burst in Jack's belly until he impulsively stormed off. Huffs and stomps turned into pants and light taps of his feet against the ground as he ran for the wooded hiking path nearby. Everything around him blurred and his thoughts ran wild and _dammit _he could hardly think straight. He didn't care about the rain. He didn't care about the looks on their faces or that Dagur was probably going to _kill _him for wandering off again. He didn't care that his ankle still stung _quite _a bit when he put weight on it.

Hiccup was out there, and if he got hurt that was _Jack's _fault.

* * *

Thunder roared through the forests and the rain sped from a drizzle to an _unholy_ downpour.

Jack could hardly see two feet in front of him; it was a miracle he could still distinguish the path from the grass! He was probably drenched by now, dripping from head to toe. His usual chocolate spikes had sunk onto his scalp, clinging to the sides of his face rather tightly despite how fast he was running. He had to stop a few times just to swat some of the water out of his face and tuck his wet bangs to the side so they'd quit poking him in the eyes. Other than that, his pace was rather steady. He couldn't stop running and he _wouldn't _stop running until he found his best friend apologized properly.

It seemed pretty hopeless considering the circumstances. Winding roads and upward paths curved in mysterious pattern he could hardly distinguish. He went off of memory, hurrying down the paths that curved in familiar patterns from that faithful afternoon. _Crap _his ankle hurt, and of course his speed combined with the ungodly amounts of mud everywhere didn't help, but he forced the pain to the bottom of his priority list. When it stung particularly bad, he halted his movements to catch his breath and yell for Hiccup. Moments of silence and thunderclaps from above alerted him that the scrawny idiot was nowhere in the area, so he continued onward with a groan.

He must have landed on his foot wrong, since he ended up sliding down one of the smaller hills and landing in a rather large sludge puddle; when he got back, he _definitely _had to shower, since his back was undoubtedly covered with mud by now. He groaned at the impact when he smacked against the ground and sat up, rubbing at his head with a few cracks of his limbs. Jack's eyes lowered and narrowed, and he simply sat there for a moment in the silence, pulling his knees up to hug them and rest his head on them. He desperately needed a minute to breathe and regain his composure (that really, he didn't have in the first place but… ya' know.) so he could trudge forward.

Beneath the canopy of an overhead tree, Jack took a moment to mentally smack himself for being such an _idiot. _He _really _should have thought this through more, since he didn't even know where he was going and his ankle was starting to hurt even _worse. _He shouldn't have been such a jerk in the first place, and he shouldn't have left Hiccup on his own like that – _especially _knowing that Snotlout was with him. God… _what _was he thinking? The sky illuminated and a loud _boom _echoed across the sky.

A distant cry caught Jack's attention, heightening his hearing immediately.

He waited silently for a minute, watching for another crack of lightening and listening for – _that! _That little yelp! It sounded so close, and so painfully familiar that Jack sprang to his feet (whimpering himself when his ankle protested the action) and followed the muffled snivels in between screams. They crescendoed steadily as he walked through a patch of mud and grass, until he finally stopped at a half-bush that curved like a sideways umbrella from the base of a thick branch. He wasn't sure whether he wanted to smile or cry when he spotted Hiccup curled under it.

"Hiccup!" he shouted, carefully getting down on one knee in front of him. He opened his mouth to speak once more, until the sky lit up again and thunder bellowed.

Hiccup screamed rather loudly, tightly covering his ears with his hands and clenching his eyes shut as if his life depended on it. Raindrops drizzled from the tips of his clumped hair and strolled down his face, mingling with a few water droplets that raced down from his rather puffy, red eyelids. Jack grimaced. He wanted to blame what looked like tears on the obscene downpour, but knew somewhere in the back of his mind that the boy had been crying. His chest ached at the thought, so he kneeled in front of him with both knees and softened his expression.

"…Hic?"

The freckled preteen cracked open one eye, the other still tightly shut. His voice cracked. "J-Jack, I—"

He shook with the next clap of thunder, shutting his eye once more with another strangled cry.

Jack's heart sank at the sight. "H-Hey… y-you alright?"

It was a _really _stupid question, but Hiccup shook his head quickly, his lip quivering a bit as he tugged at it with his teeth.

"Y…you hurt?"

Another head-shake.

"O…kay," was his _ever_ so brilliant response.

Taking a moment to contemplate his actions carefully, Jack scooted on his knees and sat down beside his friend, letting their shoulders touch. He swallowed thickly, not entirely sure what to do as his friend trembled beside him and cried out with each skyward roar. He thought back a bit, and mentally cursed himself for being so _stupid _and unable to just say he was sorry and make his friend feel better. His mind immediately turned to a forgotten Halloween's night, and the way Hiccup had held onto him tightly despite his confusion, reassuring Jack that the worst was over and things would be okay. Was it an awkward thought? _Kind _of, but Jack didn't realize have any other clues as to what he needed to do.

He hugged Hiccup's shoulders carefully and scooted as close as he could manage, assumedly catching his best friend off guard by the way he jumped at the contact and his eyes cracked open a bit. He pressed his face into his neck, pushing back the plethora of red flags waving in his head in response so he could hold him properly. The receiving end seemed to relax a bit, shoulders slumping slightly and fingers gently untangling from over his ears. Jack gulped, tightening his hold on him slightly to prevent frightening him anymore than he already seemed.

Alright. This was weird. _Really _weird. He didn't mind hugging his friend but something about the entire embrace was just… _weird. _That really was the only word to describe it.

But his friend's reactions seemed to push back the weirdness and bring him comfort, as another clap of thunder rolled by and Hiccup leapt, turning hurriedly and burying his face in Jack's chest. He tugged at his t-shirt with his fists, his monster-grip on the material tightening at each subtle roar and his entire body trembling increasingly worse by the second. After a few moments to adjust, Jack gained the courage to wrap his arms around his back and hug him tightly, resting his chin on top of his head and coughing awkwardly when he turned it downward too far and his lips brushed Hiccup's scalp.

"H-hey, Hic?"

A voice trembled beneath him. "W-w-what?"

His eyes lowered a bit, something catching in his throat when he went to speak. "I'm uh…"

Oh for the love of…! Gosh darn it, Jack, this was _not _the time to start crying! He mentally smacked himself when the waterworks began and swallowed the thick lump in his throat nervously. He mumbled, "S-Sorry."

Saying it was so easy, but the feeling it brought felt like someone just yanked at his heart guts or something. His chest heaved a bit, and he coughed nervously when the tears kept going and the metaphorical weight on his shoulders eased yet agonized.

"I-I'm really sorry," he mumbled again, hoping it'd coming out a little clearer and make things alright. "I'm really, _really _sorry, Hiccup."

Every word was guilt. It was a childish, _intense _guilt he hated every ounce of and was desperate to alleviate. It came out as clumsy apologies he could _not _get right and tight squeezes to his best friend's shoulders. Hiccup didn't say anything in response, though. He just clung to him firmly when lightning flared and the sky hollered.

But oddly, that was enough of an answer in and of itself.

* * *

**Author's Note: **So to sum the last 20 pages up, (not sure if I made this clear enough) Jack is slowly establishing where the "funny" and "mean" boundary lies, since that seems like something _any _trickster would struggle with. Oh. My god. This was over 9,000 words and I am flailing about the page number. LONGEST CHAPTER SO FAR AND I AM SORRY YOU HAD TO ENDURE IT. Is it as bad as it seems from reading it over? Err… I'm not happy with it and I can't quite spot where and why. Ugh. Oh well. Next chapter should wrap up the antics and summer camp, but that might change (gotta look back at my notes). Thank you for the reviews and follows! Love you guys~


	20. End of the Summer

**Author's Note: **This is the end of summer camp, guys! I've hit the bottom of my notes for this arc, so next chapter we'll be recovering Jack/Emma, talking a bit more about Stoick, and going back into the swing of their home lives. The title is a Theory of a Deadman song that relates to the chapter (hey look, I actually bothered to read lyrics this time).

**Basic Overview: **Summer camp is coming to a close, but the boys are ready for a few last hurrahs.

**Point of View: **3rd person: Jack/Hiccup alternation

**Warnings: **Minor frostbite; Minor Hicstrid (not much)

**Age Reminder: **Jack is 12 (7th grade); Hiccup is 11 (7th grade); Emma is 10 (5th grade)

* * *

**Chapter 20: **End of the Summer

**July 6****th**

* * *

Jack held onto Hiccup tightly for around a half an hour, though the minutes passed like hours themselves.

As the rain slowed to a steady drizzle, Jack uncurled his arms from his friend's still, now dripping form as he glanced up to note the storm's passing. Dark rain clouds zoomed by at an oddly slower pace and lightning didn't flash when he waited for a few moments. The rain – still falling – patted against his face at a gentler, less frequent rhythm that allowed for him to see in front of him without a problem. Determining that the worst of the storm was over, Jack tapped his friend on the shoulder gently to catch his attention. "Hey, Hic?" he practically whispered, voice oddly choked-up and hoarse from before (he… _totally _wasn't crying, no sir). "I-I think it's over."

Hiccup nodded against his chest, pulling away rather hesitantly as he looked around. Jack tried to ignore how much he _hated _the look on his face; slightly puffed, red eyes that fumbled to stay open and a series of thin, crimson scratches across his bottom lip (he assumed they were teeth marks; poor kid must have been gnawing on his lip the whole time). It shouldn't have bothered him that much, but for some strange reason he _really _couldn't stand just how broken his friend look, as if he were fumbling to patch himself together as he shied away.

The younger scooted away shyly, hurriedly wiping the water from his eyes on the side of his wrist with a few sniffles. He shook his head a few times, stay droplets swishing off the tips of his hair with each turn. For a brief moment, he glanced between the ground and Jack, chuckling sheepishly. "L-looks like it," Hiccup stuttered, scooting away more to kneel (with difficulty as usual, since his prosthetic continued to tap against the dirt). His legs splayed a bit, letting his left leg stretch out a bit so he could kneel to the best of his ability. "Uh… th-thanks."

Jack nodded. "No prob."

It bothered him, really, how _awkward _things became from something as little as a hug. I mean, yeah; Jack understood that Hiccup wasn't particularly comfortable with physical contact (though he really didn't care and got in his personal space anyways), but this was just… stupid. Beyond stupid. Maybe it was just him, but he hatedsilence between the two of them – especially silence like this. There was always something to talk about, no matter how bad or weird things got so something like this just… got to him, I guess. The older boy scratched at the back of his neck, chuckling lowly as he fumbled for something, _anything _to say.

"So uh…" he cleared his throat, slightly embarrassed when his voice cracked a bit. "Since when have you been such a baby about thunderstorms? I mean, we've played in a ton of 'em before."

Hiccup nearly jumped at the sudden sound, snapping his head up from what seemed like a daze. Glancing at his friend, he shook his head back and forth with a rather reflective expression and shrugged. "I… don't really know," he admitted. "A while, I guess. When I got back from the hospital there was this really big one that kinda… I dunno, freaked me out."

A year ago, the hospital, the accident… Jack wasn't stupid. He could put the pieces together, and it made his heart sink when the connection formed link by link. Of course, he didn't really understand why out of _all _things a storm would scare Hiccup rather than a car or something more relevant, but he didn't think about it too much. Instead, he nodded his head understandingly and felt his heart slam in his chest a bit when Hiccup's eyes lowered.

_God _he hated the look on his face. He really, _really _did.

He'd always hated the thought of his best friend feeling blue, but something about the look he got when sorrow came was… _horrible. _It was as if Jack could actually see his heart sinking in the greens of his eyes, and his spirit diminishing weakly when his voiced cracked on certain syllables. It was seeing his walls crumble down in the _worst _of circumstances, and trying his hardest to build him back up brick by brick despite any curiosity in him to peek inside. It was losing track of the treasure he'd exhumed years ago, that goofy little smile full of so much life and meaning. It was… odd. Peculiar. Jack didn't really _get _it, but the hatred he felt for his best friend's sorrow overpowered any confusion.

He shook off his thoughts and smacked his friend on the back (regrettably harder than he intended to) playfully with a chuckle he hurriedly forced. "I-It's just a noise, stupid!" he joked, looking at his friend's rather flustered expression with a grin. When Hiccup looked up at him with honest offense, Jack's smile wavered a bit. He ruffled his hair and sighed. "It's cool, 'kay? I-I get it. Just…" he blew air out of his mouth, letting his jaw slackening as he fumbled yet _again _for the right things to say. "I dunno. You don't have to be embarrassed about it or anything."

The younger shrugged. "..you've gotta admit it's pretty stupid."

"_Really _stupid, but ya' know. You're scared of what you're scared of." Jack reassured. He turned to his friend with a slight but sincere smile. "Hey, if it ever like… gets _really _bad just come and get me, okay? This stuff tends to be a lot less scary when you're distracted, trust me."

Hiccup stared at him blankly for a minute, before his expression melted into a pathetic little grin that oddly made Jack feel warm inside (another feeling he didn't want to think about too much, but it was hardly unpleasant) despite the chill of the rain lingering on his skin. "Thanks, Jack," he uttered quietly.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah…" Jack forced a huff. "So are you good, or what? 'Cause I think I've got mud in my shorts and it's startin' to itch."

"_Gross,_" He rolled his eyes with a snigger. "Yeah, I'm fine… let's just head back before Dagur skins us alive."

The thought didn't even occur to him. Jack shuddered rather dramatically and groaned when the image of their counselor scolding them came to mind. "Oh _crap _he's gonna kill us, Hic…"

"Maybe if we hurry we can sneak in."

"You think?"

"What part of 'maybe' didn't you get?"

"Then what are we sitting here for?!" Jack hopped to his feet with a grin and offered Hiccup his hand. "I'm not ready to die just yet!"

Ah yes, there was the eye roll again, that stupid little gesture Jack was oddly starting to like.

* * *

"What happened to having _all _your campers together, Dan?"

Tooth crossed her arms in visible displeasure when the boys arrived at the Rec Room dripping from head to toe; Jack's back was _covered _in mud from his little slide down the hill, and Hiccup's prosthetic was slicked with dirt up to the holster around his stump. Part of the older brunet's shirt had torn (from the waist-hem to his belly button, just about) and the light brown of his shorts had darkened wetly about two more shades. The colorful counselor seemed absolutely appalled at the sight, and whipped around to throw Dagur a death-glare. He practically shook in his sneakers!

"Honestly," she grumbled, rubbing at her forehead. "I can't trust you with anything, can I?"

"Hey, it's not _my _fault the little shits – "

Tooth raised an eyebrow. He gulped audibly.

"…_campers_," he corrected, earning a nod. "Ran off while I wasn't lookin'! I-I thought they were all behind me, Ann, I swear it!"

"Well _clearly _they weren't. You're just lucky no one got hurt…" Tooth sighed, her eyes opening quickly as she turned around to face the dripping boys with a genuine look of concern. "…no one got hurt, right?"

They shook their heads.

Tooth smiled. "Good." She refocused her attention to Dagur, who caught her gaze and straightened his back a bit, like a soldier after his general calls ten-hut. The colorful counselor sauntered over at a slow pace, turning her head to the side a bit to swish a few loose strands of hair out of her eyes. She smiled thinly, a gesture Jack would _hardly _consider genuine. "I'm gonna walk the boys up to the cabin so they can shower," she stated quietly. "For god's sake _please _keep an eye on everyone while I'm gone."

She leaned forward a bit, nearly brushing their noses together with narrowed eyes and a rather intimidating scowl. Dagur gulped.

"You think you can handle that?"

He nodded quickly.

"Thank you," she spun on her heel and gestured for Jack and Hiccup to follow her, practically skipping out the door merrily. The boys glanced at each other, sharing looks of confusion and slight intimidation by the entire encounter. Tooth kept a close proximity but led them confidently, a bounce in each of her steps.

Jack sniggered as they distanced from the Rec Room. "Remind me never to get on your bad side."

"Sorry about all… _that_, guys. Dan's a bit of a nightmare."

"We noticed." Hiccup commented.

"Ugh," she groaned, tossing her head back as she slowed to walk beside them. "I don't even know_ why_ they let him take this job. Doesn't seem like he likes kids too much, and I'm pretty sure he's got a jail record."

"Right?" the older brunet laughed.

"Oh well," Tooth shrugged, turning to them with a wink. "I'll break him by the end of next week."

Hiccup blinked a bit. "Break him?"

"He's obviously scared of me," she giggled, finding amusement in the thought. "Might as well have a little fun with it if he's gonna to act like a dick." Tooth covered her mouth with a quiet gasp as if she'd said something horrible, turning to the boys with an apologetic smile. "Oh! Sorry."

Jack shrugged. "I've heard worse."

It didn't take the three of them very long to make it back to the cabin, and the second Tooth unlocked the door the boys eagerly hopped inside, scurrying to the showers at light speed. Hiccup ended up having to wash his prosthetic with the hose, so he latched onto Jack's shoulder and the two of them wobbled outside on three legs (apparently he couldn't wear it dirty; whatever was in the mud rubbed his stump and it hurt). After rinsing it and drying it off, he slid it back on and Tooth suggested they take it easy for a while. The three of them walked back to the Rec Room with ease, chatting about nothing in particular.

Naturally, Jack threw a few of his best pick-up lines at Tooth (and I use the word 'best' loosely, since they are _pretty _lame), earning a few giggles and retorts about how he was adorable. Which of course, only ended up ticking him off but… ya' know… it was a compliment from Tooth nonetheless. It took his mind off of the lingering, _uncomfortable _thought of holding Hiccup and his wimpy little smirk. And Jack didn't really know _why _it kept crossing his mind, or _why _the entire memory played back repeatedly in his head, sweeping an awkwardly warm feeling from his fingertips to his toes, so he brushed it off in the hopes of ignoring it.

Sure, he acknowledged that he'd eventually have to revisit the thought sometime. But that time sure as heck was _not _going to be right now.

* * *

**July 11****th**

**Final Week**

* * *

July 11th was a field-day and a summer Mischief night.

It started out with an average field day; co-ed tug-of-war (which admittedly the boys lost), three legged races, sack races, mini-obstacle courses, a less-than-friendly, co-ed game of kickball (Henrik ended up sitting this out since everyone was getting _way _too into it), and various other generic games. The competition was fierce but oddly playful, each loss and victory earning a plethora of cheers and accusations of cheating. Astrid proved herself to be the sporting champion when she won the girls every athletic game, while Jack seemed to be a lot better at smaller tasks, like clearing the obstacle courses with ease or making it to the top first when they rock-climbed. Henrik had to sit out a lot of the activities (mostly out of the counselors' concern for his leg), but he was decent at most of the games he _was _allowed to play.

After lunch, the campers were ushered into the Rec Room for indoor activities for a while; Astrid started up a Ping-Pong championship, while Jack and a couple of the other boys took to another rousing game of "Say Uncle", as well as an arm-wrestling championship. Surprisingly, Jack came second to Tuffnut when it came to arm-wrestling, and Snotlout bested everyone during Say Uncle. When Astrid finished up her Ping-Pong game, she opted to join in the rough-housing and ended up putting all the boys to shame – mostly because they'd offered her a "girl's handicap", which proved to be their sexist downfall.

Henrik and Astrid got to talk more that afternoon, buzzing about dragons and whatever else popped into their curious little heads. When Jack was done with what Astrid had dubbed the "Idiot fest", he sauntered over and the three of them chatted about nothing in particular. Henrik made a few cracks at his friend, and they ended up wrestling on the floor about them. Snotlout and a few boys made gay jokes like they usually did, so Jack chucked his sneaker at the pudgy brunet. Of course, this ended up egging him on and the playful little wrestling match turned into a dog pile of idiots smacking each other for no reason. Henrik had the displeasure of clawing his way out from the bottom (with Astrid, of course, being no help at all).

Dagur ended up breaking everyone apart, and afterwards they played a few more games and chowed down in the mess hall for dinner. At 8:00, the counselors ran out of activities so everyone returned to their respective cabins; Tooth opted to walk along with the trouble cabin (something about wanting to make sure they got back without any problems) and escorted them back, leaving Dagur with a warning to keep an eye on everyone before skipping off to her own group. The boys piled inside and a few of them hurried for the showers, making their way back to their bunks shortly after.

Dagur huffed, crossing his arms and coughing loudly to gain everyone's attention. The bunk room quickly silenced. "Listen up! It's lights out at 10:00, and you're _not _to leave the cabin. Got it?"

Everyone nodded.

"Good. Wouldn't want any trouble with Ann…" he grumbled, blinking quickly and clearing his throat. "I'll be outside the cabin, so _nobody _moves. Is everyone _clear? _Do we need any more _reminders_?"

A series of head-shakes followed. The tattooed counselor grinned.

"Damn straight," he mumbled, making his way out of the room. The cabin door slammed shut with a loud click, leaving the boys to hang out in the bunk room. Chatter filled the four walls quickly, drowning out the previous silence with about six different conversations. Henrik fiddled with his pillows and laid back on his mattress, sighing with mild comfort. He peeked over to the side and noticed Jack dangling upside down from his bunk, grinning crookedly at the freckled preteen. His bangs cleared from his forehead, falling limply to gravity so – for once – Henrik could see his forehead.

"What's up, Hic~cup?" he sang cheerfully, giggling at his own rhyme.

Henrik rolled his eyes and shrugged, sitting up so the small of his back hit the pillow and his head leaned against one of the supports. "Nothin', I guess."

"Boring…"

He swung his head back up, the bunk bed shaking a little as he hurried down the ladder. Jack plopped himself down at the other end of Hiccup's bunk and smiled widely. "There's nothin' to _do _Hic…"

Henrik sniggered. "What do you want _me _to do about it?"

"Entertain me~"

The younger threw up his hands in defeat. "Hey, I've got nothin', Jack." He leaned back more, shutting his eyes and lolling his head back to rest it against the support more. "And we've got like… two hours before bed"

Across the room, Jamie chimed in, "Maybe we could play a game?"

Snotlout glanced up at him, nodding in agreement with a smug grin. "Yeah, yeah! How 'bout we play Truth or Dare?"

Tuffnut sat up from his bunk hurriedly, smacking his head into the ceiling with a loud, hollow _clunk. _He rubbed at the spot and grumbled, "Ow… Count me in. I'm like, the _king _of truth or dare."

"Frosty, you and your boyfriend in?"

Jack glanced over at Henrik, earning an eye roll and a shrug. Before he could jump in to decline (and bust Snotlout for the boyfriend comment), the brunet trickster volunteered, "Heck _yeah _we're in!"

Jamie smiled widely from his bunk, climbing down the ladder so he could talk to Sandy. "Sandy, are you playing too?"

"Dude how _would _he play?" Tuffnut scoffed. "You gotta _talk, _don't ya?"

Sandy shrugged with a crooked smile, nodding.

"What if he tattles on us?" Snotlout commented.

Jack snorted, strolling across the room to pat his friend on the head. "How's he _gonna _tattle if he can't even say anything? _Mute, _remember?"

"Doesn't mean a mute can't draw a picture."

In response, the blond mute closed his eyes, covered his ears, and turned his back to them.

Jack laughed rather loudly. "See? Sandy's cool!" he tapped the dirty blond on the shoulder and smiled. "Wanna keep watch for Dagur?"

He gave a thumbs-up and hurried over to the door. Each of the top-bunkers hurried down the ladders and plopped themselves on the floor, sitting cross-legged. Henrik sighed and joined them, dangling his legs over the side of his bunk. Jack sat on the floor beside him and grinned widely throwing him a quick glance as the other boys joined to form a wide, broken circle. "Alright guys, let's lay down a few ground rules," he demanded, curling in his fingers to point at Jamie. "We go easy on Jamie, 'kay? He's like, ten."

"_Eleven_," Jamie corrected with a huff.

"Okay, he's like eleven," the trickster sighed. "So we go easy on Jamie and we _don't _give dares involving Dagur, agreed?"

At the latter, no one argued. The boys merely nodded their heads in agreement.

Tuffnut chimed in, "I got a few more rules too to make it interesting."

"Whatcha got, Tuff?"

He crossed his arms and sat up straighter with a devious grin. "_Well, _usually when my sister has her lame friends over, they have this rule where – "

Snotlout fake-gagged. "Ugh, I don't wanna play with some dumb _girl _rules…"

"Dude, let me finish!" Tuffnut reached over to kick him in the thigh. "So there's this rule where you get one chicken and one pass. The pass lets you give whatever you get to someone else, like if someone asks you something and you want someone else to take it instead. Chicken's well… your wuss freebie, I guess. But you only get _one _of each."

Jack nodded. "Sounds fair to me."

"Cool," he clapped his hands together and rubbed them deviously. "So who's starting?"

Snotlout immediately jumped on the opportunity. "Oh! I wanna start!"

"Nah, man," Jack gestured toward Tuffnut with a smirk. "Why don't we let the, 'king of truth or dare' start out, show us how it's done?"

"Oho, I get it," the lanky blond chuckled. He glanced around the circle with narrowed, searching eyes. He settled on Snotlout, asking with a sly grin, "Truth or Dare?"

It went this way for a while, with each boy passing between the other. Sometimes they ganged up on each other in secrecy and glances, while other times it was every man for himself. The room roared with laughs and protests to _stupid _dares and messed-up questions, and when all eyes turned to Henrik he _always _went with Truth. Why? Well… would _you _trust any of these idiots with a dare? No? Didn't think so. Jack constantly complained about how he needed to "let loose" or "take a chance" whenever he shyly responded with Truth. Henrik just ignored his little nudges to his arm, and bickered with him back-and-forth, ultimately ending with him having to answer some _obscenely _stupid question.

There were a few answers that worried him though, when he noticed Snotlout and Jack throwing each other a look before smirking back at him. They rounded the circle a few times before coming back to Hiccup, with Snotlout as his dealer. He grinned. "Hiccup. Truth or dare?"

"Truth." He spat calmly, trying to ignore the glares straight from _hell _that Jack was giving him.

The older brunet groaned loudly. "Oh _come _on, Hic!"

"Dude, I am _not _picking dare. It's _Snotlout._."

He threw up his hands incredulously. "All the more reason to do it!"

Henrik deadpanned, turning his gaze to Snotlout once again. "Just give me a truth."

"Fine, fine," Snotlout huffed, nostrils flaring. He thought for minute before grinning from ear to ear. "You ever see Jack naked?"

Tuffnut burst into laughter at that one, while Henrik just found the question downright odd.

He glanced over at Jack with flustered, flushed cheeks.

The older boy merely shrugged with a grin. "Nothin' to be shy about, man."

He sighed in defeat. "Yeah, I'm gonna use my chicken on this one."

"Seriously?"

"Ee~yup_._"

Tuffnut scoffed. "Laaammmeeee…"

Henrik wasn't exactly the best at giving dares or asking questions, and when he _tried _to be as ridiculous as the others it usually resulted in sarcastic cracks from Jack or jabs from Tuffnut and Snotlout. Jamie was a pretty passive player, prudently choosing Truth almost as often as he did, but when he picked dares the others were rather merciful. He got the easier end of things, either having to do something silly or being forced to admit to some dark unknown secret. Of course, he had none – Jamie was a pretty chill kid, after all – and his answers were rather bland like Henrik's.

Seven rounds later and Jack was down to his socks and shorts, Tuffnut had mud in his boxers, Snotlout cut a hole in one of his pairs of pants to wear it as a shirt (let me tell you right now; Tuff seriously had a talent for giving dares), Jamie had marker all over his face, and Henrik was… well, clean. There was a point where Jack had to pour a cold water bottle down his pants and to say the least _that _was pretty entertaining; he kept trying not to flinch but there was split second where Henrik could see him shiver and grimace. No one else caught it, and Tuffnut applauded him for keeping a straight face (yeah right).

Henrik was safe for a while with his lone Pass. No one had asked him anything particularly pass-worthy, until Tuffnut asked if he'd ever had alcohol before. He ultimately decided to pass that one to Snotlout, who raised his chin and _proudly _stated that yes, he'd snuck some wine form his Dad's stash in the cellar.

Jack grinned beside him, knocking an elbow into his side. "Feelin' naked yet?"

"…'scuse me?"

Snotlout sneered across the room. "No chicken, no pass."

His best friend sniggered. "You're free game, squirt."

Henrik gulped. He didn't like the sound of _that. _

"It's only a matter of time, Hic. Better keep your guard up~"

"He's just gonna ask for more dumb truths, ya' know," Tuffnut huffed.

…well he wasn't _wrong _about that.

"Then I guess we'll have to think of some _really _good ones," Jack threw up his hands with a devious smile. Oh gods. Henrik _really _didn't like that look on his face. It was mischief in its purest form. Sure enough, they sped through a few more rounds until it all came down to Snotlout, who _immediately _pounced on him (of course). He grinned smugly, crossing his arms as if he was about to pull something _grand._

"Hiccup, truth or dare?" Snotlout sneered, intentions written across his face.

Henrik gulped. "Tru…th?"

Jack groaned loudly, letting him fall back until his back hit the floor. "Come _on_, Hiccup…"

"Hey, _you _were the one who said I'm free game–"

"So what?" he retorted, rolling his head back with a dramatic scoff. "Come on, can't you just take like… _one _dare?"

"_No _way," the younger crossed his arms. "_Especially _not when it's Snotlout giving it."

"Hiccup, you are literally killing me."

"Well, then I guess it's been nice knowing you."

Tuffnut groaned across the room. "Are the lovers done arguing, or can we get a move on already? I've got a _real _good one, and you're gonna make me forget it!"

Jack batted his eyelashes at the freckled preteen, jutting out his lower lip. "P~lease, Hic?"

"…if I take one will you _shut up?_"

"Well _duh_."

Henrik rolled his eyes, resting his forehead on the palm on his hand. "Fine. Dare."

Snotlout clapped his hands together deviously, a smile making its way across his face. "It's about time, and _boy _do I have a dare for you, crip."

Jack sat up and folded his hands together, resting his chin on his fingers with a fascinated grin. The pudgy brunet leaned forward, as if he were about to tell some _horrible _secret.

"I dare you to sneak into lakeside and steal a pair of Astrid's panties."

Henrik blinked a bit. Did he even _freaking _hear that right? The other boys gaped at him, sniggering and choking back the roar of laughter he _knew _was bound to come. It took a moment for the entire scenario to process, and as the prompt presented multiple results that _all_ involved Astrid beating the living daylights out of him, he shook his head.

"I-I am not doing that!"

Tuffnut snapped his fingers and chimed in, "Without a shirt on, too!"

"Are you guys _trying _to get me killed?!"

Snotlout crossed his arms. "Oh, I'm sorry! Did you wanna use your pass? Your chicken?"

Tuffnut snorted. "Too bad you don't _have _any."

They roared with laughter, and when he glanced over he noticed Jamie choking back a laugh as well. With reasonable panic, Henrik turned to his friend as he could _feel _his cheeks lighting on fire. "D-Dude you cann_ot _seriously expect me to do this."

Jack shrugged. "Dare's a dare, Hic."

"…you totally _meant _for me to use 'em up, didn't you?"

He chuckled, ruffling his hair. "You can't prove _nothin'._"

"L-look, I-I'm not gonna—!"

Snotlout groaned. "Quit bein' such a baby, would ya'?"

"W-what if Dagur catches me?!"

"He so _won't,_" Jack reassured, glancing over at the door toward Sandy. "Hey, Sandy! Is the warden still outside?"

Everyone turned to look, and the tiny blond shook his head.

"See? Just sneak out really quick, run into lakeside, snag a pair, and run back. It's real simple."

He could _feel _his face falling (with good reason of course).

"So," Snotlout crossed his arms. "Are you in or_ not_?"

* * *

Sneaking across the camp grounds was hardly an easy endeavor.

As Jack and Hiccup rounded down the wooded path, the older boy spotted a few of wandering counselors on patrol uphill. It took them a few minutes to catch them with their backs turned, allowing all the boys to hurry across the clearing and duck behind a few bushes. From there it was a pretty easy path; ten minutes of silent marching along the shore finally brought them to the lakeside cabin. Everyone sniggered and sneered with delight while Hiccup took a deep breath.

Sandy peeked in to assure the others that the girls had left, allowing their freckled victim to make his move. Tuffnut held out his hand to Hiccup with a thin smirk. "Shirt?" He demanded.

Hiccup sighed and peeled off his tank top, handing it over to him hesitantly. Jack sniggered at how he shyly folded his arms over his chest (assumably trying to cover what he could, the doofus) and shuddered as a breeze rolled by. He glanced over at the older boy desperately. "Come on, guys… You're not seriously making me do this are you?"

"Hey, hey," Jack chuckled, slinging an arm over his shoulder. "It's a little too late to back out now, dontcha think, Hic?"

His expression fell. The older boy felt his smile waver a bit by how honestly nervous he seemed. Simply out of impulse, Jack retracted his arm and threw it up in the air with a huff. "Fine," he sighed. "I'll go with you."

Snotlout groaned. "It's _Hiccup's _dare! You can't help him with it, lover-boy. That's cheating."

"Who said anything about helping? I'll just tag along to make sure he goes through with it. Sound fair?"

Hiccup scoffed. "Don't I get any say in this?"

"N~ope."

"Awesome…"

Tuffnut nudged Jack in the shoulder with a smile. "Oh! If you're gettin' in on this, care for a dare?"

Was that even a question? "Whatcha got?"

"Snag my sister's bra while you're in there, would ya'? I'm gonna fill it with pudding and jam it in the freezer if I can." He laughed at what seemed like his own thoughts. "Think you can do it?"

The mischief king sniggered. "Chocolate or vanilla?"

"I was thinking one of each."

"Nice!"

"Yeah, yeah, now would you two hurry it up?" Snotlout insisted, waving his arms wildly. "Before they get back would be nice."

Jack looked over at his shirtless friend and chuckled. Hiccup rolled his eyes, and they sauntered into the cabin in silence. The door creaked open rather loudly, so they slipped through the small crack and stepped inside carefully. Jack instinctively offered his best friend a hand, which Hiccup swatted away. He shrugged it off and they made their way into the bunk room.

It was surprisingly messy for a Girl's cabin, with only a handful of bunks neatly made and the others covered with clutter and clothes. Suitcases were stacked in the farthest corner in a toppling pile of blues and browns. Various articles of clothing hung out of them, some large enough to hit the floor while others dangled loosely. Jack nodded toward the pile, motioning for his friend to follow him as he crept across the room. Hiccup gulped nervously, tip-toeing carefully and placing as little weight on the prosthetic as he could manage. The older boy could see just how anxious he was, so he dug through the suitcases until he spotted one with "Astrid Hofferson" crudely etched across a card on the zipper. Jack pointed to it, and Hiccup made his way over, hesitantly tugging the zipper open to retrieve his target.

Meanwhile, the mischief king tugged open Ruffnut's bag (which he could only assume was the one with a skull and heart pattern, and was slicked with dirt across the front) and yanked out a bra from the top of the messy clothes pile inside. He stepped in view of the window to dangle it off a finger and wave it victoriously, earning a muffled "Nice!" from Tuffnut. The crowd of boys jeered by the window, until Sandy pointed toward the path and everyone scattered. Jack had to squint, but — oh crap.

Tooth had everyone coming back to the cabin, and there was Astid — _right _behind her.

Jack all but panicked. He sped across the room looking for a hiding spot while Hiccup finally stood up with a pair of panties in his right hand (his head turned in the opposite direction, as if he couldn't even _look _at them, the dork). A rather cruel but genius idea popped into his head when he spotted an empty crevice beneath a bunk, so he sped over to his friend and tossed the bra at him. "Hold this a minute?" he chuckled, ducking beneath one of the bunks close to the door.

Hiccup flustered. "D-Dude, why are you–"

The front entrance cracked open, and the girls stepped inside. Jack held his breath.

* * *

Jack managed to slip out of the room somewhere in the middle of Tooth's vicious scolding.

He slid out from under the bed (a bit clumsily I might add) and snuck out the door while everyone had their backs turned, throwing a lazy wave at Emma when she peeked over and noticed him. It took him a while to make his way back to the cabin, but once it came into his field of vision, he ran for it like there was no tomorrow. Okay, yeah. It was pretty jerky of him to hightail it out of the lakeside cabin. Did he feel bad for leaving Hiccup behind? Kind of. But at _least _he knew the doofus was in good hands – even if those hands were currently trying to wring his throat. They'd laugh about this later. Or at least Jack would laugh and Hiccup would probably yell at him or beat the living daylights out of him. (Which, in retrospect, wasn't a particularly scary thought but… ya' know.)

This was _definitely _not a story to tell North when he got back. He'd probably have to go talk to Emma about this too but… oh well. It was worth a few laughs, right?

Actually… not really. But whatever. He was already at the cabin and Dagur would be back in a few minutes, so there was no point in dwelling on his own stupidity now, right? Right. On that note, Jack tugged open the cabin door and stepped into the bunk room, immediately getting bombarded with a series of questions from the other boys. Tuffnut's main concern? Whether or not he got the bra. This _really _shouldn't have surprised him as much as it did. Snotlout seemed interested that he didn't get caught by any of the counselors, while Jamie seemed to noticed Hiccup wasn't with him. The others turned their attention to that note, throwing even _more _questions at him.

"I uh…" Jack chuckled sheepishly, rubbing at the back of his neck. "Might have left Hiccup back at Lakeside."

Everyone gaped at him.

He shrugged with another series of awkward laughs. "…but on the bright side, he totally went through with it?"

Snotlout's shoulder slumped. "So wait, when _we _ditch him in the woods it's mean but when _you _ditch him in the chick cabin it's cool? I'm callin' a double standard, Frosty."

"Hey, at _least _he's not by himself," he poorly justified. "Besides, what's the worst that can happen? Hiccup's harmless. They'll… _probably_ go easy on him."

Dagur stormed into the cabin shortly after the bunk room roared with arguments and an escalating fist fight. Everyone immediately shied away from one another, standing extremely still as the tattooed teen eyed them all one-by-one. He chuckled to himself. "Not bad."

He glanced around the room and mouthed numbers (oh _great _he was counting them for once…) until he stopped and his smile fell. "…where's the crip?"

Snotlout and Jack looked at each other with wide, guilty eyes. The pudgy brunet stuttered, "U-uh… wh-what crip?"

Jack furrowed his eyebrows. The counselor turned his back so he mouthed a quick "_Really?!" _at the idiot beside him. Snotlout shrugged and shook his head confusedly.

Dagur groaned loudly, lolling his head back as he tugged off his holster and tossed it onto his top bunk. "Do I even want to _know _what you little shits have been up to?"

The mischief king sniggered. "Probably not…"

Before he could get a word out, a knock came at the door. Everyone held their breath and hurried over to see who it was, and Jack felt his stomach twist when Tooth stood outside with her arms crossed, Hiccup just behind her. She _hardly _looked amused, and glared at Dagur with a murderous gaze that Jack could feel from across the room. The colorful counselor patted the boy on the shoulder, nudging him forward rather gently. Dagur glared at the crowd of boys in the bunk room with a vicious scowl. He returned his gaze to Tooth and faked a welcoming smile. Jack choked back a laugh at how irritated he seemed. "H-Hey, Ann. What brings you here at this hour?"

She faked a smile of her own. "Oh, nothing. Just caught one of _your _campers down at Lakeside, Daniel." Her smile fell and her nostrils flared. Dagur gulped audibly. "Going through some of the girls' _private _suitcases."

He glanced between Hiccup and Tooth a few times with a confused expression. He shook his head a few times. "...how did I _not_ peg the crip as a closet perv?"

"_Actually _Ruffnut mentioned seeing a few of the other boys sneaking off too. _Just _before I caught Henrik."

Everyone in the bunk room tensed. Oh _crap._

Dagur smirked back at them, a look nothing short of murder in his eyes. "Oh _did _she?"

"Yeah. Dan, do you mind if we uh… have a _chat _outside?" Her eyes narrowed. "Just the two of us?"

His smile fell almost immediately. Hiccup hurried inside and snuck into the bunkroom while the two of them were busy, making sure to smack Jack in the back of the head before sitting down on his bunk. Ow, much?

Dagur licked his lips nervously and nodded. "S-Sure. Not a problem."

He threw them a glare that echoed _every _murderous intention of his before stepping outside, carefully shutting the door behind him as he and Tooth stepped to the side. The bunk room remained completely quiet in the meantime, each of the boys wearing their own unique look of guilt. Hiccup lay on his side, arms crossed and back facing the others. Jack sat on the edge of his bunk and chuckled sheepishly. "U-Uh… hey, Hic."

Hiccup didn't even turn around. "Dude, don't even talk to me."

"…okay, you're mad."

He finally sat up and smacked him in the arm. Jack flinched a bit. "Fucking _pissed _as a matter of fact. What the heck, dude?!"

Dang. Hiccup _never _swore.

"H-Hey, I knew you weren't gonna get in trouble – "

"I'm _so _sure…"

Well, this was going _marvelously _wasn't it?

"…look, I-I'm sorry, I panicked and – "

"Whatever, okay?" Hiccup fell back onto the mattress, sighing when his head hit the pillow. He covered his eyes with his hands and groaned. "Astrid probably thinks I'm a creep now…"

The thought didn't even cross Jack's head. Well shit. He probably just screwed over Hiccup's chances with her _royally. _If that didn't intensify the pang of guilt in his chest, I'm not sure what would. He knew he was _definitely _going to have to explain himself to Astrid later (since it meant a lot to Hiccup, and he felt _really _bad now) so he worked out a game-plan in his head. Jack sighed, lying across the bed horizontally so that his back hit Hiccup in the gut, his scalp brushed the wall, and his feet dangled off the bunk's side. The younger groaned in annoyance.

"…I'll talk to her, 'kay?"

Hiccup tilted his head up to look at him with wide eyes. "Huh?"

"I said I'll talk to her," Jack peeked over at him, his chest heaving a bit when the younger boy smiled slightly. "I-I mean, I don't wanna screw over your chances at getting a date or anything like that."

_Why _was his smile so nice? It was obvious that he was still mad (he had this weird glaze about his eyes) but the weak little twitch in his lips was oddly appealing. It was… weird. And Jack was even _weirder _for looking in the first place_. _

"Thanks, Jack."

He _really _needs to stop thanking him like that.

"Whatever," he sighed, lolling his head to the side to take his mind off of Hiccup's little grin. "I'm the one who got you into this anyways, might as well be the one to get you out."

Hiccup brought up his knee to nudge his arm playfully. He snickered, "Doofus."

And there was something about that taunt that Jack didn't really mind.

* * *

**July 13****th**

**Final Day of Camp**

* * *

The last week of camp was rather hectic.

After the Truth-or-Dare incident, Dagur was told _explicitly _to accompany his campers, so they couldn't go _anywhere _on the campgrounds without him supervising. Jack actually took the initiative to explain things to Astrid, who _actually _predicted the entire set-up was his fault anyways (was she savvy or what?) and reconciled with Hiccup. Tooth partnered the Lakeside cabin with the Trouble cabin on as many occasions as she could manage, mostly out of mistrust and to keep an eye on Dagur – either way, it offered Jack _multiple _opportunities to flirt with her.

Tuffnut _insisted _on daring them to do stupid stuff, so while they waited in the cabin while Dagur checked in with Tooth, Jack got dared to go through his holster. He pulled out a multitude on weird items, including a rusty box cutter (which Hiccup _insisted _was meant for slitting their throats in their sleep), a couple of crumpled phone numbers, a busted, cracked cell phone (Jack could have _sworn _his background was a picture of him and Elliot), a cluster of melted candies (which Tuffnut popped into his mouth without hesitation), and a plastic bag full of small, square packages. Snotlout tugged one of them open and claimed there was a clear balloon inside, which was awkwardly rolled up into what looked like a ring. He rolled and stretched it out and tried blowing air into it, but it wouldn't inflate.

Jack declared they must have been water balloons, so they hurried outside and filled a few of them up with water. Sandy was cracking up the entire time, practically _choking _on laughter but when everyone asked what was wrong, he just waved his hand as if to say "nothing". They shrugged it off and got into a water balloon fight – which ultimately ended up failing, since the dang balloons _sucked _and wouldn't break that easily. Dagur came back with Tooth after around thirty minutes of water wars, and seemed absolutely _appalled _at them when he saw the aftermath of used-balloons on the ground. Tooth covered her mouth and her cheeks burned a bright _red, _all while Sandy was rolling around on the ground cracking up.

The water balloon fight was broken up the _moment _Dagur realized they'd come from his holster, and Tooth yelled at him outside of the cabin for what had to be an hour about how "inappropriate" it was that he even _had _them in the first place. None of the boys (except for Sandy, it seemed) really understood what was so inappropriate about balloons, so they shrugged it off and – after a stern lecture from Dagur about touching his stuff and why that was an _absolute _no-no – headed to the auditorium for another movie night. _Apparently _(at least, according to Sandy's scribbles on the Auditorium's white board while they were chatting) they weren't water balloons, which only perplexed them even more.

The final morning of camp was a busy one, involving a quick sweep-through of the cabins to make sure they had all their crap together. Hiccup nearly forgot his stuffed dragon was under his pillow, but Sandy was nice enough to tap him on the shoulder and hand it to him as they were walking out. Snotlout made a few cracks about him having a "teddy bear", and that was probably the first time Jack had seen Hiccup hit someone all camp (his own person aside, shut up) – he smacked his arm, earning a surprised yelp from the pudgy brunet and a satisfied chuckle from the mischief king.

Everyone was piled into the clearing so the counselors could loud their bags in the buses, so everyone hugged goodbye and a couple of girls by the Rec Room actually _cried. _The trouble cabin parted ways rather easily, with a few bro fists and last minute punches before each of them hurried onto their respective buses. Jack and Hiccup stayed close together, making their way over to Bus 3 where Tooth waited for them.

Jack grinned. "So~ I guess this is goodbye, huh?"

"Looks like it, Jack," she smiled widely. "I can't really say it hasn't been a fun summer with you two around. You guys definitely know how to keep things interesting."

"Well, ya' know," he flexed his chest a bit, while Hiccup rolled his eyes. "I'm just kind of a fun person."

Tooth bent over to pat him on the head. "I guess so."

"So… do I get a goodbye kiss or…?"

The colorful counselor giggled, smiling at him genuinely. "Jack you are absolutely adorable. But uh… I _don't _date 12 year olds."

"Well, then it's a good thing I'm _13 _huh?"

"Tell you what," she put a hand on his shoulder gently. "Find me in seven years, _maybe _we'll talk."

After giving him a quick hug and a wave goodbye, the colorful counselor hurried onto a nearby bus to take her seat. As Hiccup and Jack made their way to their _own _bus, he turned to his best friend with a smug grin. "Hear that, Hic? I might have a date in seven years."

And – just as usual – Hiccup scoffed and rolled his eyes.

* * *

The bus ride back home was long, tedious, and tiring.

Hiccup spent a good duration of it either napping or emptily looking out the window (though there was a _remarkable _lack of things to look at outside), while Jack fidgeted in his seat and kicked his feet back and forth. They talked about whatever popped into their heads now and then, but the older boy was mostly focused on his sister. Emma had fallen asleep in the seat just beside them, with her head against the window (_how _she could tolerate the constant bangs of it against the wall with each bump, Jack would never know) and her feet propped up on the seat. She lay rather still, while Jack nervously glanced over at her to make sure she was okay now and then.

Summer camp was three weeks of mischief. It was stupidity and daring treks, bug bites and sunburns, cranky, tattooed punks and colorful counselors with a bounce in each of her steps. It was learning from experience and taking a few _moronic _risks, but also the thrills and lessons that came from them. It was a question of boundaries in more than one regard.

It was finding fear and facing it together, and it was every awkward sentiment that came along with it.

* * *

**Author's Note: **And~ scene? Wow ending arcs is weird. Ah well. Next chapter we're covering readjustment and stuff, as well as Jack/Emma~ I'm starting to notice these chapters are getting longer (last chapter was 20 pages, this is 17). I guess that means I'm covering more in one go than I intended or something? _Anyways, _thank you for the reviews and follows!


	21. Home

**Author's Note: **I feel like my updates are progressively getting slower. I would have posted this earlier tonight but _wow _the teaser for HTTYD2 came out and Hiccup is absolutely lovely. Alright, so this is basically more filler (probably followed by more filler) to space things out and get the boys situated to home life, as well as resolve a few conflicts I kind of left up in the air. The title is pretty self-explanatory. Sorry this one is a little short in comparison to the others, I didn't have _too _many plans for this chapter; I only knew two points I wanted to extend on so… bleh. Crap chap. Ya' know.

**Basic Overview: **After three weeks of mischief, the boys have to readjust to home life.

**Point of View: **3rd person: Jack/Hiccup alternation

**Warnings: **Nothing horrible, Whoo-hoo.

**Age Reminder: **Jack is 12 (7th grade); Hiccup is 11 (7th grade); Emma is 10 (5th grade)

* * *

**Chapter 21: **Home

**July 13****th**

* * *

The first thing Jack registered when he walked in the door was the silence.

Emma tugged open the front door with a loud creak, popping her head through the crack to glance around the front entrance. Jack followed after her, the smile on his face just as wide as his younger sister's as they made their way into the living room. He carefully laid down their suitcases by the front door and looked around, taking in each familiar nook and cranny of the house after a long three weeks away. Things looked a lot more organized than he remembered (North must have gotten bored and cleaned up the house, poor guy), and the silence that settled itself in every crevice felt foreign and absolutely unwanted. Jack was used to North's music booming all the way from his study to the living room on the other side of the house, or yelling between rooms when someone needed something. Noise had become a North/Overland trademark, and its absence was just… awkward.

Emma had snuck into the living room on her tip toes, and she snapped her fingers a few times to catch Jack's attention. He turned to face her and sniggered as she pointed to their adoptive father out cold on the couch, his head propped up on the arm rest while his feet just barely touched the opposite one. North slept surprisingly still, taking long, deep breaths that sometimes shifted into snores when his exhaled. Emma giggled, making her way over to the couch carefully to pull a blanket over him. The second her arm reached over his form to tug at a blanket on the back, the old man leapt forward and pulled her into his arms with a loud "AH-HA!"

She sniggered and giggled, wiggling in his arms as he all but crushed her against his chest in a tight hug. Jack grinned from across the room, striding over to sit on the armchair. He watched with a laugh of his own as their adoptive father tickled his sister mercilessly and showered her with affections, before sitting up with his back against the cushions to let her sit on his lap. North chuckled and gestured for Jack to come over as well, so he hopped onto his feet and sat beside him, a large arm curling around his shoulders to pull him close.

"Welcome back, little ones!" he cheered, squeezing both of them tightly with each of his arms. "It has been long time, has it not?"

Emma nodded happily, kicking her feet a bit while they dangled off his lap.

"So, how was camp?" North threw Jack a quick glance, an eyebrow raised to accompany a knowing smile. "I trust you did not get in _too _much trouble?"

Jack chuckled. "Not _too _much."

He narrowed his eyes and leaned closer. "Do I want to know what that means?"

"Probably not."

"I will take your word on that," North chuckled, "I am glad to have my little ones home," the old man chuckled, hugging the two of them close. His grip was rather tight (or at least it seemed tight, since Jack could hear a few of his limbs pop). "Come, I make you breakfast."

Jack cheered under his breath while Emma hopped off his lap and skipped into the kitchen with a loud "Yay!"

Overall, breakfast was the same as it usually was. North cooked them pancakes and bacon (much to Jack's delight) while Emma chimed on and on about all the fun she had at camp. There was an instance in which she nearly brought up a few of Jack's stupid pranks — his Lakeside raid in particular — so he hurriedly changed the subject or nudged her leg with his foot to shut her up. It seemed like North was catching on to his mischief anyways, judging by the knowing smirk on his face when Jack dodged topics and "edited" out certain days of his camp experience.

It felt nice to be back, and what particularly warmed Jack's heart was the wide smile on Emma's face, and the jubilant ring in her voice as she told her tales. It seemed like she was more social and… Well, happy since the "adoption" bomb hit. Then again, her mind was in other places… so Jack paid the details no mind and simply enjoyed her stories about hiking, or the jokes Astrid and Ruffnut told her. In a word, everything felt… Right.

Their day ended up as one of relaxation, with Jack sprawled across the couch lazily as Emma hogged the bathtub upstairs.

There was _no_ way a girl her size needed thirty minutes to wash herself! I mean, Emma was puny but she took the longest baths; Jack had always assumed she either fell asleep while she was lounging or playing pretend or something. Either way, thirty minutes was ridiculous. He watched TV in the meantime, his focus wavering between garbled speech he didn't bother to pick up on and the hum of the fan. Jack drifted in and out of sleep, occasionally putting a damper his own coherency. The whir of fan blades slurred to the electric dialogue of the TV. His eyes shut but he lay still on the cusp of unconsciousness.

Emma snapped him out of it when the light pitter patter of her feet caught his attention. She plopped herself on the couch and threw him a smile. Jack returned the gesture with a smile of his own and hustled up the stairs, swinging a right off the top step to head into the bathroom. Showering felt nice after three weeks of mud and sweat. His hair didn't feel as sticky as the water ran through it, and — despite his usual preference for colder temperatures — hot water got all the remaining dirt clinging to his skin and eased the tension in his muscles. He must have taken around ten minutes longer than usual, but as he tugged on a loose purple t-shirt and ruffled his hair beneath a towel he could hardly find it in himself to care.

Jack slept for a few hours and unwound in the living room with Emma and a few hours of cartoons.

* * *

Henrik wasn't allowed to move when he got home.

Oh don't worry; that had nothing to do with his leg or his Dad or anything like that, and sitting around was actually pleasant_. _Literally the _second _he walked through the door and hollered "I'm home!" Toothless sped down the stairs (nearly missing a few steps in the process) and hopped all over the place, jumping up his legs with a wild, wagging tail that moved so quickly Henrik could hardly see it. He stood on two paws so he could lean against the boy's legs (or, leg rather) and stared up at him with excited eyes that begged him for attention. The freckled preteen chuckled quietly, placing his bag to the side so he could kneel and pet the little warrior.

"Hey bud," Henrik grinned, leaning his face in close to the small dog. "You miss me?"

Toothless yipped, licking his nose a few times before he pulled back and laughed.

"Yeah," he scratched his chin carefully. "I missed you too."

Henrik strided through the front entrance and stumbled into the living room, letting his back hit the nearest sofa (ultimately being the armchair, but whatever) so he could unwind. He patted his thigh and whistled quietly, catching Toothless's attention. The black beast (as his father had started referring to him as) hopped up onto his lap, hitting him in the crotch doing so. The freckled preteen initially hollered, and slid his back further down so he could rest on his chest, legs dangling off the arm rest loosely. His entire body relaxed and a hand came up to pet his dog on his back and behind his ears. They sat together for a while on the armchair, which _would _have been more pleasant if Toothless wasn't so fussy about letting Henrik move.

_Apparently _spending three weeks away from him warranted the little warrior to _guard _him. He wasn't allowed to reach over to get the remote without him yipping, and even _threatening _to move any part of his body resulted in a series of snarls and nasty growls. Henrik sighed. Well, any plans he had to unpack or say hello to his father just went out the window, didn't they? Fortunately, Sven came downstairs to say hello later on, so Henrik he didn't have to move (as if Toothless would let him anyways). His father leaned over to give him a rather awkward, one-armed hug (if he could even call it that) before sitting down on the other couch with a smile.

"Good to have you back, son," Sven assured, folding his hands on his lap. "It's been p-pretty… quiet without you here."

It was _always _quiet in this house. Henrik nodded, biting down on his lip a bit. "Uh… yeah. Good to be back, I guess."

And, sure enough, the silence returned, settling itself comfortably between them.

"…so, did you have a good time? A-at camp, I mean."

He thought back a bit and chuckled, shaking his head back and forth. "Er… yeah. It was uh… I-it was pretty boring though."

"Ah. I see."

His father certainly had a knack for not knowing what to say, it seemed. Of course, Henrik knew not to expect anything less (considering everything that's happened) and awkwardly readjusted from the roar of idiots back in the cabin to the silence of his own household. It wasn't particularly a _smooth _transition – as lying on the couch for a while with no sound except Toothless's occasional yips and snarls mentally demonstrated – but he was beginning to remember quiet nights in his room and dinners in the kitchen by himself. Sitting up carefully, Henrik rubbed at the back of his neck sheepishly and shushed the little warrior on his lap (barking at him for moving, no doubt) with a pat on the head.

Looking over at his Dad, it seemed like he was fumbling for something to say. Maybe he was overthinking it, but judging by the way he kept shifting in his seat and glancing around the room told him that there was something on his mind he couldn't quite vocalize. It bothered him, really, that his father wouldn't just tell him what was going on and made him _guess_. Sure, Henrik wasn't one to jump on the whole "talking about his feelings" thing either, and he totally understood how hard it was to say what's on his mind, but it was starting to get really… how can I put this nicely… well it was getting downright _annoying_.

But let's look at the bright side: at least now he knew where his stuttering problem came from!

"So…" he fumbled for his own words, stroking Toothless's lazily as he blew his bangs out of his eyes. "What's uh… what's up?"

Sven glanced up at him in a quick burst before darting his eyes elsewhere. He opened his mouth a few times to speak but shut it each time before answering, "Nothing, nothing really. Work has been a thorn in my side, if anything. How um… how have you been, son?"

The way he worded himself made it sound like Henrik was _sick _or something. Oddly enough, it stung.

"I-I've been alright," he gestured down towards his prosthetic and forced a laugh. "My leg's kind of sore, but I'm good."

His father didn't even look over at it. Another sting followed as his eyes locked on everything _but_ Henrik.

"Probably from all the excitement. Some rest would do you good, eh?"

_Why _did the glancing bug him so much? It was so subtle, but _man, _it was starting to get on his nerves.

"Yeah. I'll uh… I'm gonna go and u-unpack. Maybe take a nap after."

Sven nodded, seemingly at the floor by the way he didn't look up as Henrik stood (while Toothless hopped off of him and hopped off). Yet another subtle gesture Henrik was going to ignore… "Good. Good idea." He cleared his throat, standing himself as the freckled preteen wobbled across the room. He tugged his bag up by the handle and lowered his head as he passed by his father, sneaking up the stairs hurriedly (with difficulty, since _dang _it was heavy and his leg was not agreeing with him today) with Toothless about 5 steps ahead of him. Swinging into his room, Henrik carefully shut the door and let his bag fall onto the floor with a loud _thunk!_ He collapsed face-first into his bed and sighed.

And as he shifted up the mattress so he could lie down properly, Henrik sarcastically mumbled to no one in particular: "Home sweet home."

* * *

North declared the night of their return to be a family game night, so Jack and Emma raced into the laundry room to fish out a few board games from the shelf.

Jack managed to reach the Sorry! board before Emma could reach her game (being taller was starting to have its perks other than bragging rights), so he put it back and let Emma bring back Candyland for everyone to play. At first, it started out as a boring round. As usual, Jack and North were behind while his sister was about 10 spaces ahead of them. She continuously complained about how they weren't even trying, so Jack sarcastically cracked jokes about how exciting the game was. She won that round – _obviously _– and everyone put their pieces back on the start block for another game.

If I were to describe to you just how _into _Candyland Jack and North had gotten after that round, you probably wouldn't believe me.

Jack _probably _would have started screaming if he wasn't so sure that the Haddocks would hear him (and call the police, probably) next door; North was equally as loud, while Emma cackled from her corner of the couch about how they were "stupid boys" that had no chance of beating her. If you're wondering what got Jack so riled up to warrant screaming, it was him getting the wrong colors when he was only two spaces away from the Candy Castle. No, really. He was _honestly _convinced that Emma shuffled the cards so he would _not _get violet in the end.

Candyland ended with North winning a single round and Emma winning a total of three. Jack pouted on the other side of the couch and declared the game was rigged.

Eventually, they packed the game back into its box and sat on the couch together for a while. The TV buzzed distantly in the background, playing cartoons no one was really watching as they chatted idly. Emma told more of her exciting camp stories, poking Jack's side when she vaguely hinted at something stupid he and the other boys had done. North seemed _particularly _interested in his side of the story, so he persisted on asking questions about the things he did. Luckily, the mischief king was pretty smooth. He dodged topics that weren't "North friendly" (see: Truth or Dare or any rogue Dagur-involved pranks), editing out the parts he knew would probably end up getting him grounded. Hey, it wasn't like he was lying; he just left out a few… er… major bits.

He mentioned Hiccup's sensitivity to the storms, and North nodded as if he completely understood (which Jack still didn't, but whatever). Emma cooed about it, saying she didn't like the noise either while Jack just sort of shrugged it off, stumbling past the topic with a bit of difficulty. His gut tightened with that awkward, pleasant-but-not-really-pleasant-at-all feeling from when he'd thought about it before, so he shook it off and changed the subject as quickly as he could. The _last _thing he needed was to think about it more; _especially _considering the myriad of memories and uncomfortable sentiments that came from recalling the incident. Instead, he focused on the more _amusing _stories; he wove his epic tale of scaring all the boys in his cabin, which – much to his surprise – earned a hearty chuckle from his adoptive father.

They headed off to bed sometime around 10 o'clock. Or… well, at least North and Emma did.

Jack shimmied through the crack he made in his window and let his bare feet graze the rooftop's surface. High in the sky, the Man in the Moon beamed down at him, bright and full, chasing away every inch of darkness around him. It brought a smile to his face, and as he glanced down toward Hiccup's window, he noticed the boy all curled up on his bed. The freckled preteen had his knees close to his chest, arms hugging them tightly while his forehead rested on them. Toothless curled up beside him (or at least, Jack _thought _it was Toothless; it was really just a giant lump of fur and black by his side), and he noted the empty suitcase on the floor – as well as a sizeable stack of books on Hiccup's other side. Jack grinned. He was a dork as usual.

Stepping across the break in the roofs carefully, the mischief king tapped on his best friend's window a few times and smiled when he looked up to meet his waves. Hiccup hopped on his one good leg (what an idiot, he didn't even put on his prosthetic…) and tugged open the window hurriedly, grinning at his friend weakly before hopping back to his bed. Jack choked back a snigger. That should _not _have been as fun to watch as it was.

The older boy slipped through the now open-window and sat beside his friend. "Well, _that _was kind of hilarious."

"Sorry," Hiccup sighed. "I'm kinda too lazy to put it on right now."

"_You? _Lazy?"

He rolled his eyes. "What are you doing over here, anyways?" The young boy peeked through the window and pointed to Jack's suitcase – still full and on the floor. "Don't you have unpacking to do?"

"I'll do it later," Jack shrugged. "I just wanted to say hi."

"…that's it?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

Hiccup shook his head with a tiny smile – miniscule in size but oh so _very_ genuine. "Idiot."

"Whaaat?" he elbowed his arm playfully. "I'm bored."

"And you couldn't have just gone to bed?"

Jack crossed his arms with a huff. "Gosh, way to make me feel wanted, Hic."

"Sorry, sorry…" Hiccup sighed, elbowing him back lazily. When the older preteen peeked over, he noted the oddly _tired _look on his face; like he was ready to go to sleep for a year but he couldn't quite get himself to shut his eyes properly. His eyelids sunk lowly over the greens of his eyes, not quite narrowing them but sagging lethargically beneath a few wild strands of hair. Overall, he just looked… blank. Sort of empty, if that made sense; like one of Emma's old dolls if you rubbed off the paint and took a look at the base beneath it.

"…you okay?"

The younger boy shrugged. "I guess."

Jack shifted a bit to face him. "What's that even mean?"

"I dunno," he shook his head a few times, as if to shake off whatever thought was bugging him so much. "I guess I'm really tired or somethin'."

It was weird; he didn't _look _sleep-tired. He just looked tired in general. What that meant, Jack wasn't sure, but something about it bothered him.

The older brunet patted his head. "Alright. Guess I'll get out of your hair, then."

Giving him a playful smack to the shoulder (once again forgetting Hiccup wasn't really comfortable with physical contact _after _the fact, the idiot) before sneaking across the room to the open window again. With his leg halfway out, he glanced back at his friend with a sincere smile and threw him a wave. "Night, Hiccup."

He didn't even look up when he waved back.

* * *

Jack didn't sleep too well that night.

And before you make assumptions, no, nothing was bothering him; he honestly just couldn't keep his eyes shut for more than an hour, so he gave up on it entirely. He resorted to rolling on his bed, sometimes tapping his feet energetically against the mattress and impatiently waiting for his body to somehow click into sleep-mode. His thoughts failed him in the night. When he tried to think of something to amuse himself with, his brain seemed to shut down and clog with demands at him to fall asleep. So, to say the least, Jack was getting irritated. He ended up hobbling across the room to play on his GBA until he got tired. Picking fights in Pokémon was amusing for a good while, but when he finally got bored he sunk back on his bed with a groan, saving and clicking the game off.

His mind slowly regained its regular thinking pace, but the paths it turned down were… well, _weird. _

It started with the look on Hiccup's face earlier that night, how lethargic and apathetic his expression remained no matter how many jokes Jack cracked, and how his eyes stayed low as if he were looking at his leg. What was up with him, anyways? Did something happen? Was he nauseous or something? Jack wasn't entirely sure _what _that look was – that pathetic press of his lips and dull glaze in his eyes confused him to no end; it wasn't that he looked sad or angry. Rather, it seemed like he was thinking really hard about something the older boy couldn't quite pinpoint, as if it couldn't quite wrap his head around something and Jack asking about it only made him more confused. If it warranted the freckled brunet to lie, it _definitely _had to be important.

…man, Hiccup was _full _of weird quirks.

He didn't talk too much about himself, now that Jack thought about it; most of the time when they hung out, he just sort of spat out whatever popped into his head and Hiccup gave his two cents on the matter. Sometimes they bickered over petty things like superhero showdowns or video games, but all in all… he didn't say too much else. He never talked about his Dad or Toothless, never brought up his mother or his leg unless it hurt and – in more recent events – never mentioned his problem with thunderstorms. It was like he kept everything bundled up inside and gave occasional slips of small information, little fragments of his personality the older boy had to clumsily piece together.

Meanwhile, Jack just sort of let everyone know everything about him. There wasn't much _to _him, really, so what was the point in keeping things a secret? He lived with his sister and the man who adopted them in Burgess, his favorite color was blue, he hated wearing shoes, his hair was messy when he didn't spike it, and sure, he kind of preferred the cold (well, most of the time). He was a just simple kid with a simple life, but Hiccup didn't seem quite as easy to read – or at least Jack didn't think so. Everything was so much more...well, _complicated _with him, I suppose. Jack could go on and on for hours about how angry or upset he was, while it seemed like Hiccup wasn't a fan of emotional expression. He took things as they came, it seemed, and Jack had to sit there and constantly guess what was going through his crazy little brain.

That wasn't necessarily a _bad _thing, though. Sometimes that mystery in him was fun to explore and poke at; if he pressed the right buttons, his oh-so-stoic demeanor would waver and he got to see the more excitable, animated half of his character. There was one time when they were studying for a history quiz and Jack tried to make some lame joke about the Romans that Hiccup was _positive _was historically inaccurate. They bickered over the matter for what must have been a half an hour before the younger boy started getting _loud. _It was an odd sight, let me tell you; quiet little Hiccup pretty much _screaming _about history while Jack just sort of gaped and giggled at how into it he'd gotten. For the record, Jack lost that argument. But the point still stands; his best friend was _definitely _livelier than he let on.

He wasn't entirely sure _why _he was so curious about his best friend; he's had friends before but none of them interested him the way Hiccup did. Spending time with the boy was always fun, even when he was nagging him to do his homework or finish his chores. He was getting a lot _mouthier _as he got older, the boy noticed; instead of him wincing or taking offense to Jack's sarcastic cracks, he could whip around and throw an even _more _sarcastic crack at him. When they picked on each other, he had a knack for giving comebacks too. But along with that was the quieter side to him, the side that spent nights in his room reading from the stack of books on his desk and avoided trouble at all costs. It was odd how quickly Hiccup could flip between both of them, but it interested Jack in the strangest of ways.

Before his thoughts could forge forward, the young boy jumped at the sound of a tap at his bedroom door.

"Uh… come in?" he responded quietly, sitting up with his voice lowered to a whisper.

The door creaked open slightly, a sleepy but shaky Emma stepping through the crack. She stood in her night shirt (one of Jack's old t-shirts, he thought) and a blanket tightly wrapped around her shoulders, hair disheveled and eyes half-shut. Jack blinked a bit, looking at her blankly as she walked over. "Hey Emma," he greeted. "What are you doing up?"

"I had a _really _weird dream," Her words drowned out into a yawn. "And it reminded me that I wanna to talk to you."

"…it couldn't have waited until tomorrow morning?"

She shook her head. "Nuh-uh."

Jack sighed. "Al…right then. What's up?"

Emma scurried over to the bed; hopping onto the mattress tiredly (she nearly slipped off when she landed on the very edge, poor thing), she turned to her older brother and curled her blanket around herself more. He shifted a bit to face her. "I wanted to say that it's okay," she mumbled, with an oddly determined look on her face.

Maybe it was because she was tired, but Emma wasn't making _any _sense tonight. "What do you mean—"

"—And that I don't really get why you lied but it's fine."

Oh. _Oh! _She was talking about the adoption thing.

"Emma, can't we talk about this later—"

She shushed him, covering his mouth with one of her hands. "And I thought about it a lot and decided it's okay, because you're still my big brother and I love you."

Every word out of her mouth was sort of slurred and sloppy, but they meant just as much as they would if she were fully awake. Jack actually had _very _sparse to say in response; his heart thumped happily and thoughts buzzed calmly in his head, but for _whatever _reason he couldn't bring himself to say something. So he ended up sitting there and smiling like an idiot while his sister pulled back her hand.

"And I _still _think you should have told me," Emma sighed, lowering her eyes and letting her expression soften. Small fists tugged her blanket tightly around her. "And you're really, _really_ stupid for not saying anything sooner."

Jack nodded. "Fair enough."

"_And,_" Emma was just _full _of ands tonight, wasn't she? She looked up at her older brother with sincere, curious eyes and folded her hands on her lap. "I had some time to think about it and… I dunno. I guess I'm curious about them."

"About who?"

"Mom and Dad."

The older boy gulped a bit. "What about 'em?"

"What they were like, what they looked like… ya' know," she shrugged as if she wasn't quite sure what she wanted to ask either. "Stuff like that."

"Uh…" Jack sheepishly rubbed at the back of his neck. It wasn't like _he _remembered too much about them either… just the faded blurs and random splotches of color that came and gone with his nightmares. "Gosh, you're probably askin' the wrong person."

She scooted closer, looking up at him with wide eyes that begged him to tell her what he knew. Jack snorted and shrugged.

"Well," he thought back as far as he could, finding difficulty in the task. The first thing to pop into his head was the blurred image of narrowed, russet eyes and a loose, brown bun on the back of the figure's head; they were accompanied by a stern voice telling at him to get down from somewhere, and Jack registered it as a memory of his mother. "You uh… you look like Mom. A _lot _actually." He patted her head. "North wasn't lying about that."

"Really?" Emma gaped at him, tilting her head a bit. "What was she like?"

"Uh… Mom-ish, I guess."

She giggled. "What's that even mean?"

"You're askin' _me?_" he chuckled, bowing his head a series of memories came to mind. "I dunno, she was really… nice?" The only real memories he could muster up were small ones, of her calling to him before the flood or yelling for him to come back inside. He could vaguely recall his mother's constant nagging, too. "And she had your habit of yellin' at me all the time, too. I swear, she wouldn't let me do _anything._"

Emma smiled. Jack wasn't entirely sure _why, _but it was sort of contagious.

"Dad was really funny. He had this _gross _old boat, I think. Kept trying to patch it up so we could go sailing but it kept falling apart. And… well I… honestly don't remember _too _much about him, but uh…" he thought hard for a minute. "He really loved you."

Her smile softened. "He did?"

"Of _course _he did. What kinda question is that?"

They sat silently for a moment, before his younger sister rested her head on his shoulder and hugged him with both arms. Jack tensed a bit as she squeezed him (not particularly hard, but enough to startle him a bit), looking down at her curiously. She seemed at peace; with both eyes shut and her cheek comically smushed against his side. The older boy smiled, bringing his arm around her shoulders to lazily hug her back.

"…Da—uh—North told me that they drowned."

He nodded sadly. It wasn't so much at the memory that got him; rather, it was how she seemed to stutter out North uncomfortably. It sounded weird coming out of her mouth.

"...and that I got out 'cause you saved me."

Another nod.

"…was it scary?"

Jack shrugged indifferently, fumbling for an answer. I mean, how would you just… _tell _someone how much a memory like that bothered you, that every nightmare you had was centric to it and terrified you in unimaginable ways?

"Kind of," the brunet admitted. "I try not to think about it too much."

Emma nodded against his side as if she understood what he meant. She squeezed his chest a little tighter and sighed heavily.

"You're not allowed to lie to me anymore, Jack."

He snorted, squeezing her shoulder with his hand. "I know, I know. No more lies, alright?"

"…I _mean _it," she tilted her head up to look him in the eyes. "If I catch your sorry butt lying again I'm gonna kick you. And I'll kick you _really _hard!"

"Whoa, whoa, there's no need to get violent on me!" Jack laughed, holding up his free hand. "I won't lie to you again. It's honesty here on out, I swear it! Happy?"

Emma pulled back, looking up at him with narrowed eyes. "Promise?"

He crossed his thumb in a little 'x' over his heart.

"Cross my heart."

* * *

Emma ended up sleeping in Jack's room that night.

She was buzzing with more questions about their parents, curled up in her blanket with her head on his lap for a while; he answered each silly query to the best of his ability (which wasn't much, but Emma didn't seem to mind too much), stuttering out fragmented memories that occasionally popped into his head. He told her about the flood as gently as he could, sparing her certain details and simplifying it enough to get the point across without scaring her. She seemed to grasp what he was saying fairly easy; the parts he thought were complicated ended up not being so hard to explain to her at all. Eventually they ended up lying back against the pillows (his back hurt from sitting hunched over) while they continued to go back and forth.

Sometime while the older brunet was telling a story about their mother, he glanced over and noticed his younger sister sound asleep. She'd tugged up the blanket to cover her shoulders and part of her lips, her legs curled under so her toes barely peeked out the bottom. Jack smiled. He slid his back further down the mattress and curled up next to her, an arm tucked under his pillow to prop it closer to his head as he turned onto his side. It didn't take very long for him to fall asleep afterward.

And Jack wasn't entirely sure _what _he dreamt of that night, but waking up in the morning after it hardly felt like a chore.

* * *

**Author's Note: **And… this will forever hold the title of the shittiest chapter. I'll go into Stoick and Hiccup's relationship a _lot _more in later chapters, I promise. Next time we're starting 7th grade, as a warning. _Also_, I mentioned on Tumblr that I have a few chapters I had ready (most of them taking place in high school; yes, I wrote ahead) but ended up scrapping. So… I'll probably post them here later on. My only problem is that some of them kinda spoil stuff so. Mehr. I'm one-foot-in-one-foot-out about posting them. Thanks for the reviews and follows!


	22. Glancing

**Author's Note: **I'll be honest and say I am _extremely _unmotivated to write the 7th grade lately (I had a lot of plans but the arc we were about to enter I ended up scrapping because I was having some issues with it). Since the other arc ended up getting scrapped, 7th grade _actually _might be a short one, since I only have one _major _"plot" point for it – so we're on our way to nearing High School *squee* which I _actually _have a decent set of plans for. Sorry this update took a while; I try to keep them weekly but I could _not _get myself to sit down with this one. It's mostly filler, as an introduction to the whole "they're in 7th grade" thing. It'll pick up later, I swear!

**Basic Overview: **7th grade has begun, and it's starting off to be a decent year.

**Point of View: **3rd person: Jack/Hiccup alternation

**Warnings: **Lots of time-skipping. We're hitting _major_ Hicstrid in the 7th grade (please don't kill me)

**Age Reminder: **Jack is 12 (7th grade); Hiccup is 11 (7th grade); Emma is 10 (5th grade)

* * *

**Chapter 22: **Glancing

**August 30****th**

* * *

"What the heck is a _health _class supposed to be?"

Jack squinted at his schedule, reading over each charted class carefully. Everything looked the same as last year (save for a few teacher names he didn't recognize), just scrambled in a different order; Science, Social Studies, Electives, and all his usual classes. His eyes skimmed toward the bottom of the table, noting the, "**Period 7: Physical Education / Health**" printed in bold ink. It took a few read-overs to make sure that was _definitely _what was printed, and once it settled in his head he fumbled to decipher what exactly that entailed. He turned to Hiccup confusedly, tapping his shoulder to get his attention (the dork was had been staring out the bus window for a good duration of the ride).

Plucking the crumpled schedule out of his best friend's hand, (which seemed to grab his attention) Jack grumbled, "See, look! You got the same thing, right here!"

"Really? Huh…" Hiccup peeked over at the block Jack was pointing to, staring at it blankly. "It's probably some drug lecture, like the cops who came in for the assembly last year."

"You think?"

He shrugged. "Probably. What _else _would it be about?"

"I dunno. Health stuff?" the younger boy snorted at Jack's quip and the older bit back a grin. "Ugh. I _hope _it's not a drug thingy. You'd think an hour of getting barked at was enough last year."

"Funny, 'cause I remember you being _asleep _for most of it."

He scoffed and threw up his hands. "Like _you _weren't bored for most of it."

"Bored, but awake."

Yep. There it was. Hiccup's ever-growing supply of sass. Jack wasn't sure if he found it amusing or annoying. Leaning towards the latter, the older brunet held their schedules side-by-side and compared them. 3 matching academics and 2 matching electives brought a smile onto his face. He elbowed his best friend and chuckled. "Check it out; we've got like… 5 classes together."

Hiccup grinned. "Thank the gods for that."

"No kiddin'," Jack chuckled, amused that his friend seemed so glad. He glanced down at the papers again and pouted. "Looks like we don't have Recess together, though."

"Oh well."

"Oh well?" he scoffed, narrowing his eyes at the younger boy. "Dude, who am I supposed to talk to if you're not there?"

"You could _actually _try talking to other people?"

"What, like _you're_ gonna?"

Hiccup opened his mouth to say something but ended up shaking his head. Heh. Score one for Jack.

"Face it Hic," he raised his chin proudly and folded his arms over his chest, flexing his chest out a bit dramatically. "You're totally hopeless without me."

The freckled preteen rolled his eyes in disagreement, but Jack could spot the beginnings of a grin on his face without even looking. "Really? Cause it sounds to me like you've got that completely backwards."

Jack rolled his eyes and swatted his arm.

* * *

The orientation assembly was dreadful (as usual), with all the students packed tightly into the gym while the staff boasted about the "fine establishment".

Jack – naturally – fell asleep for… well, _all _of it while Henrik sat through the entire _dreadful _speech. Astrid took a seat beside him, so the two of them quietly whispered to each other about their summers (with camp being their only mutual topic) and classes. When she asked for his schedule, Henrik had to bite back the grin threatening to stretch across his face as she pointed out the classes they had together; Language Arts, Social Studies, Theater (for the first quarter), and Lunch. Not to mention that the excitement on her face in response made him so happy his heart probably skipped about five or six beats. Her smile was really nice, thin but wide enough to make the ambitious blues of her eyes narrow subtly. It made Henrik's insides awkwardly warm. Then again, Astrid just made him feel that way in general.

The assembly wrapped up with the Vice Principal's failed attempt to start a collective applause; he enthusiastically stated "Let's get this year started!" and threw up his arms dramatically, as if he were waiting for the entire room to roar with cheers. Instead, the audience of preteens sniggered at his unnecessary display and sat silently. Suffice to say, they were ushered into their homerooms shortly after.

Jack woke up when Astrid reached over and smacked him on the forehead (Henrik was cracking up when he snapped awake with a loud "OW WHAT THE HECK"), his head snapping up so quickly it flung his spikes wildly across his scalp. He stretched out his arms with a yawn, and before he could get a word out to his best friend the 7th grade class was called into the library for yet _another _welcome back speech. The trio hobbled down the hallway together, two out of the three members chatting excitedly while the eldest tiredly stumbled across the linoleum. Jack groaned and moaned about how he didn't want to be there, all while Henrik threw in his two cents of sass and Astrid giggled at his comments. The older brunet just shook his head and pouted.

Once again, the welcome speech _seriously _sucked and their class was finally sent off to their respective homerooms – which, apparently, were on the bottom floor. A staircase and six doors later, Henrik and Astrid stepped into the same homeroom (and he thanked every god for her being there) for attendance. Their teacher seemed sweet up until one of their classmates spoke out of place and got yelled at; Astrid whispered some comment about her throwing a tantrum, and Henrik choked back a laugh. Homeroom didn't particularly last for too long, and after twenty minutes of idle chatter everyone filed out of the room.

Two rooms down, Henrik found his Science class. After a few minutes of skimming his eyes across the desks (apparently they had assigned seats), he found his name on top of a stack of papers and took his seat. It was mostly a bunch of "How to not kill yourself with the bench tools" worksheets, and some contract-looking form that promised Henrik's full cooperation at the bottom. He signed it without really thinking and rested his cheek on the palm of his hand, glancing around at his classmates that filled in the seats around him. And a few rows down was Jack, who leaned back in his seat with his feet propped into the basket of the desk in front of him. Henrik snickered quietly. The class hadn't even started and Jack looked _dreadfully _bored.

After the bell rang, he wobbled down the hall and swung a left into one of the Social Studies rooms. Right off the bat, he could tell it would be a good one this year, since he stepped into the room and noticed Astrid and Jack waving at him from the other side. He plopped himself down at their table and grinned. Their teacher _actually _seemed pretty cool, oddly enough.

The trio made their way to the auditorium shortly after for Theater, where the same rather _eccentric _teacher from last year greeted them a loud "Good morrow". She gave Jack the same old scowl she'd reserved for him since last year (according to Jack, he did nothing to deserve it but Henrik _hardly _believed that), while she smiled at Astrid and him warmly. They spent most of the period playing icebreakers (for no reason, honestly; since they already knew each other) and doing various "acting exercises" that were basically a bunch of stupid games.

Language Arts was a bit of a… er… _worrisome _class.

You see, Henrik walked into the room with Astrid with a smile stretched across his face. They sat in their assigned seats and waited eagerly to meet their teacher (who was hiding away in one of the side-offices); the freckled preteen twiddled his fingers and kicked his feet under his desk, shamelessly taking quick glances at Astrid when he could. When a thin, blonde woman finally stood in front of the class and called for everyone to take their seats, he turned his attention to the front of the room and spotted a familiar form reaching for something on the floor from one of the first row seats. They straightened their back and a pair of unsettling golden eyes locked on him for a minute. They threw a sly grin, and Henrik felt his blood chill when he registered the face as Pitch's.

Lunch was _disgusting _as usual, but recess was an entire period of talking to Astrid. And while he'd usually mourn not being able to hang out with Jack like last year, Henrik was glad he got to see her more.

* * *

**September**

September was the awkward month of the school year, when every student worked the hardest they would all year before the "academic slide" began.

7th grade started out to be a decent year for the boys. Well, decent for about 6 out of the 7 classes they had each day, since the Health class they dreaded going to so much ended up being 45 minutes of awkward videos and "discussions". The first quarter of the year was a slow one, full of introductions and weird conversations. It was the quarter of the year that Jack and Hiccup quickly realized _why _people were so weirded out by how close they were, and the quarter when the boys stopped sharing beds during sleepovers. It was Jack's voice _constantly _cracking, and dreading the ungodly amounts of homework they were assigned each night. He ended up doing most of it during homeroom; and, of course, Hiccup yelled at him for it. But whatever – there was _no _way he was going to finish it all at home.

With the initial downsides, there also came a number of perks; Jack was starting to talk to some of the other kids in their grade and gaining a name for himself, while Hiccup was getting closer to Astrid. She always sat with him at lunch (a few of her other friends following her) so they could talk, and sometimes they paired up for partner-activities in L.A. Sometimes he'd check-out different Dragon books from the library so they could read them together, and Astrid always seemed really interested in what he had to say.

Unfortunately for Jack, a lot of his classes were far-spread apart. Hiccup remembered quite a few occasions in which Jack had to sneak in one of the side doors to avoid being marked late (after _carefully _making sure the teacher wasn't looking), or seeing him scurrying down the hallway with mumbled cusses and the occasional "Oh _crap_" when he dropped one of his textbooks by accident. Most of the time he got away with being late, too, but there were a few times Hiccup heard his name called over the intercom, and him marching down the hallway with a loud, exasperated groan.

Now that Jack was alone during lunch he'd started talking to some of their classmates, and found that some of them were _actually _pretty funny. The kids he usually shoved past in the hallways were slowly gaining names to match their faces. Meanwhile in Hiccup's lunch wave he'd gotten introduced to a few of Astrid's friends and found… well, a good majority of them intimidating.

It wasn't particularly cold outside yet, so the two of them were able to sit on the rooftops to study together or just talk about whatever was on their minds. Jack had a tendency to complain about how his teachers allegedly hated him, while Hiccup tried to refocus his attention to their homework. There was a night that Hiccup caught Jack actually trying to _sleep _on his rooftop. Why, he'd never really know (nor did he think he _wanted _to know), but nature had its own way of denying the attempt. Sometime around midnight, it started to rain _hard_, causing the older idiot to dart inside with a loud "AW COME ON!"

Jack was still fumbling out of his summer mind, but – much to his delight – Emma had shifted rather easily. She was her usual cheerful self, and while she hadn't addressed North as "Dad" for months, it felt as if things had gone back to normal. The house was loud again, full of music on the weekends and their bickering at dinnertime; cartoons blaring from the living room, and shouting across rooms when no one felt like walking. Everyone was regaining the swing of things, and now that he was older Jack was taking on more chores. He was also gaining a habit of constantly checking the weather for thunderstorm warnings, and on the days the percent was higher than 40, he invited Hiccup over to hang out or crawled across the rooftops to go bug him. Most of the time, the weatherman was wrong (why that surprised him would forever be a mystery), so he ended up just hanging out with him for no reason. Of course, that was never a bad thing—and if anything, Jack was thankful that most of the storms copped out.

It was also the first month Hiccup popped into one of Burgess's comic book stores and picked up a few issues of Spiderman. His Dad gave him enough money for a couple of comics, so he skimmed through a few of the back-issues and stumbled across the Spiderman titles. He sort of started at a weird number somewhere in the middle, (somewhere around 42, I believe) but fortunately for him there was a handy recap on one of the first pages. And sure, they weren't gripping tales of knights or dragons, but… oddly enough, he found a lot of amusement in them. There was something about Peter Parker's character he liked that kept him constantly interested.

All in all, it was a quiet month dedicated to school work and readjusting to the hum-drum school life they'd abandoned mid-June.

* * *

**October**

October brought Halloween-themed lessons and the introduction of lab reports in Science class.

It marked Hiccup's annoyance with having two different projects due the same day, and Jack's irritation with the growing amounts of homework in general. The leaves started changing colors as the temperatures dropped, and – while he was busy with school work and dreading the colder temperatures – Hiccup found himself excited that Autumn had finally come. Weeks flew by with tests and the _dreaded _mile run (which, as fate would have it, Hiccup was absent for), until the week of Halloween finally arrived.

The hallways were ablaze with plans and football arguments (apparently the season had started back in September, and a _lot _of their classmates were heavily invested in it), and even Astrid seemed excited for the upcoming holiday. At lunch she and a few of her friends boasted about their costumes (apparently she was going as a knight; how cool is this chick?) and their plans for mischief night. She mentioned some party she was going to, but Hiccup was honestly more focused on how she put her hand on his shoulder when she asked about his plans. He sort of stumbled for an answer dumbly before plainly responding that he had none. Her friends poked fun at him for not going out for Mischief Night, while Astrid seemed more understanding (though just as disappointed). Hiccup ultimately ended up rushing through his homework and having a movie marathon with Jack, since – as usual, he was banned from leaving the house.

Halloween Night finally rolled around and Jack ended up getting invited to a party at one of his friend's house.

He asked if Hiccup could tag along; when he got the okay, Jack rushed onto the bus and alerted his best friend that the two of them were going to a party. Of course, Hiccup seemed initially confused but ultimately agreed to go with him; he just had to make sure it was fine with his Dad (which it was, after a convincing discussion with North) before they could go. They ended up lazily wrapping Jack in toilet paper so he could be a make-shift Mummy, while Hiccup settled on wearing a red t-shirt with the word "COSTUME" scribbled in Sharpie on the front.

The party ended up being a house _packed _with 7th and 8th graders; honestly, Hiccup didn't even know there were _that _many kids in their school!

Of course the host's parents were around (how a party this big was okay with them, neither of them would ever know) making sure no one broke anything; the music was loud and sort of obnoxious, the hallways were packed with kids of all sizes and costumes, and all the doors to the doors on the walls were shut and labeled "OFF LIMITS" (except for one, which was assumedly the bathroom). They didn't particularly stay too long (it was sort of a drag and the music was crap), but for the two or three hours they hung around it was pretty fun.

It seemed like Jack was popular with a lot of the other kids, oddly enough; Hiccup actually lost him for a solid hour, leaving him to stumble around the unfamiliar house until he could find a decent corner to sit in. He spotted Astrid in the crowd, but she seemed busy with a few other friends. Suffice to say, he wall-flowered until Jack came back with a wide grin on his face and a few packages of candy sticking out of his pants. Hiccup would've asked about them, but he didn't really think he wanted to know.

When North finally came to pick them up, Hiccup couldn't really hear out of either of his ears and Jack had lost most of the toilet-paper they'd wrapped him in from bouncing around so much. Was it a fun night? I guess, but that didn't even feel like a middle school party to be completely honest – Hiccup didn't know a majority of the people there and it felt more like he was stumbling through a night club rather than his classmate's house.

* * *

**November**

Coming back to school after the Halloween party was _really _weird.

Everything felt quieter, as if the excitement from before died with the passing holiday. Classes seemed to drag by the minute, and homework piled up at an inconsistent pace; there were nights in Hiccup's living room, when the boys had to sift through subject after subject of tedious busy-work, and other nights at Jack's house when they could easily breeze through a few math problems before goofing off. The second quarter was beginning, so their usual habit of talking during Theater (via acting "exercises" that allowed them to do so) was lost to a more quiet art class they also shared. Hiccup had oddly taken a liking to the sketching assignments giving to them, since it gave him something to do when he was bored while Jack seemed to do better with painting.

November was the month the hallways buzzed with Thanksgiving plans and groans or sighs of "I'm tired". The usual stupidity about Hiccup's classmates had multiplied by at _least _ten, but now with a new twist – ever since a _particularly _awkward video in Health class (where they split up the girls and boys in separate rooms), the general jesting themes regarded "sizes" (in what ways, I will leave you to imagine), and various other _stupid _details. Sometimes in the locker rooms they bragged about chest hair or how tall they were going to get. Unfortunately, Jack popped into some of those conversations while Hiccup awkwardly changed in the stalls to avoid the crossfire. While only about _half _of his classmates' jokes were actually funny, he was pleased that the temperatures were dropping – colder weather meant he could wear sweaters soon.

Thanksgiving break was a four day weekend he mostly spent at Jack's house. The dinner was delicious, but the real amusement came from Emma bickering with her older brother, and Jack's usual shenanigans around the house. It ended up serving for two purposes; one being the holiday – obviously, and two being for Emma's birthday which had been the day before. His Dad didn't really say very much to him, but it didn't really matter anymore. Hiccup was starting to get used to it, as much as he hated to admit it. He'd even brought over Toothless to celebrate, which ended up being a bad idea when he managed to hop onto the table and snag a leg off the turkey. They chased him around for a good ten minutes before they decided to let him have it.

It was another month at school that Hiccup got to talk with Astrid more, and he started learning little things about her that he liked (besides her interest in dragons).

When they worked on partner projects, she was trust-worthy with her half of the work; as opposed to Jack who constantly tried goofing off or procrastinating, she made getting things done easy so that they had time left over to just talk and joke around. He was quickly figuring out that she was a _really _good athlete, too; in gym, she was the team member everyone fought over. It seemed like she liked playing Volleyball more than the other sports, and when they ran she slowed herself down so she could run along with Hiccup (since he _actually _had to make up the mile run, much to his dismay). Overall, she was nice but she had a sarcastic sense of humor; Hiccup found himself glad to be on her good side, since a couple of idiots were poking fun at her and she talked them down so badly he thought they'd cry. The more Hiccup learned about her, the more he _really _liked.

Jack wasn't blind to that either – Astrid _was _really cool, and Hiccup's little crush on her was _pretty _damn obvious if I say so myself. He stuttered like an idiot around her, and the way he side-glanced at her during class was hardly subtle. Was he surprised? Not in the least bit. He was a timid dork and Jack knew that from the beginning.

The only weird part was that it sort of… I dunno, _bothered_ him, but he couldn't quite place why.

* * *

**December**

December rolled in – bringing a rather _fantastic _series of snow days with it.

All of them began with Jack hopping around on the roof without shoes like the _idiot _he was (typical), and Hiccup having to yell at him to shut up from his window. They spent them together, though most of their activities took place inside; Hiccup wasn't able to stray too far from the house (ice and whatnot), so the two of them goofed off in his room. Most of it was a lot fun, up until they hopped onto the downstairs couch to watch TV and he got a blanket for them to share. Jack kept scooting away and stuttering about how weird it was, so Hiccup huffed and ended up getting a second blanket for his best friend. Now don't get me wrong; it wasn't so much the comment that bothered him, but the way Jack seemed uncomfortable with the entire thing. He'd never had problems with them being close before, and generally speaking _Jack _was the one to get in Hiccup's personal space like… all the time. And suddenly it was a problem?

…Eh. Whatever. It's not like Hiccup cared anyways, it was just sort of… well, _weird. _

When school came back, Jack had apparently forgotten to do most of his homework so Hiccup sat through three classes of his teachers shaking their heads at the older boy. He groaned about it while they were on the bus and complained that they all hated him, inventing some story about them being in the "Anti-Jack Overland League". Hiccup laughed it off and promised to get on his case more about it, which one resulted in an even _louder _groan. Posters were popping up on the school hallways, about some winter dance on the 21st. They were crowding the bulletin boards and covering some of the lockers (Hiccup's being one of them, much to his dismay), but neither of them really paid them any mind.

December 10th was the day _all _of their teachers simultaneously decided to assign an ungodly amount of homework.

So of course, Jack's complaints came and he ended up having to go over to Hiccup's so they could get it all done. After making ramen on the stove and feeding Toothless, the two of them settled themselves on Hiccup's bed to attack the Godzilla-stack of math problems waiting for them in their backpacks. It took them a solid hour or so just to finish fourworksheets out of about ten (double-sided, the poor suckers), so Jack called for a mandatory break before they started the fifth. He sprawled himself out across the mattress so his head dangled off the bed and groaned dramatically, rubbing at his forehead.

"Hiccup~" he moaned, voice cracking embarrassingly. "I'm gonna _die._"

"Don't be such a baby," the younger boy snorted, nudging his side with his good knee. "We're barely halfway done and you're already whining."

"I'm not _whining,_" Jack defended, knocking him in the gut with his elbow. The noise that came out of Hiccup's mouth was somewhere awkward between a groan and a giggle. The older bent his neck uncomfortably to look up at his friend, bangs flinging across his forehead wildly. "Whoever invented geometry needs a smack in the face.._._"

Hiccup snorted, smacking him the back of the leg lazily. "I think _you _need a smack in the face, Jack."

"Whoa, whoa, wait a minute, I'm getting murdered over here and you're _hitting _me? _Gosh, _you're so _nice, _Hiccup."

"A freaking saint," he jeered, closing his textbook with a sigh. "I _guess _we can take a break for a bit, since you're _so _unable to go on."

Jack threw up his hands mockingly and tossed his head back. "Thank you!"

He didn't even have to look up to see the freckled preteen rolling his eyes. It brought a smile on to his face for no particular reason, especially when the other boy knocked their books onto the floor and lay down beside him, his belly against the duvet. He tugged off his prosthetic and gingerly leaned it against the nightstand, sighing with relief before letting his face hit the comforter. Jack sniggered. Why the entire display was funny, he didn't really know.

He looked over at the face-blanketed Hiccup to his left and grinned. "So, you hear about the dance at school?"

"Hear about it?" he mumbled against the blanket before turning his head to properly look over. "Dude, they stuck one of their posters on my locker. I had to tear through two of them just to find my lock!"

"That _sucks,_" Jack laughed. "I guess my L.A teacher is chaperoning or something, 'cause he hasn't shut up about it either. It's pretty annoying."

"Sounds like it. Are you going?"

The older boy shrugged, pursing his lips a bit as if he were thinking about it. "I dunno, I thought about it but… eh. What do you even _do _at 'em?"

"Uh… talk to your friends and pretend you can dance?"

"Lame," Jack huffed, shutting his eyes. "What about you?"

"I'm…probably not," Hiccup sighed, rolling onto his back with a sigh. "I uh… I don't really know too many people in our class, and it probably wouldn't be much fun without you there."

Jack fought back the smile his comment brought onto his face. "Well I'd go if you were goin'."

The freckled teen nodded before furrowing his eyebrows and sitting up. "…so wait, are we going then?"

"I guess? Like, if you want to. I mean," he shrugged. "It's probably gonna suck but we could always crash in the halls and hang out together or something."

"…Jack, are you asking me to go with you?"

"No!" Jack defended perhaps a bit _too _hastily, his voice cracking in the process. He sat up and hid his face in his knees when Hiccup started laughing. "Oh _shut up."_

"Hey, I didn't say anything!"

He groaned, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. An idea popped into the older boy's head. He grinned thinly and peeked over at his friend. "Ya' know, you _could _ask Astrid to go with you."

Hiccup seemed to freeze at his comment, and Jack had to choke back a laugh. "I uh… I-I don't think that's a good idea."

And there was the stuttering. Oh man, Jack had him now and that look on his face was _rich!_ "Oh come _on,_" he swatted his arm playfully. "It'll be fun! Besides, you guys could dance or something~"

"I-I don't even know _how _to dance!" he pointed to his prosthetic. "I've got two left feet! Or… uh… I don't even _have _ a left foot!"

"Oh come on, it's not _that _hard. It's like hugging, but with your feet moving."

"W-Why don't _you _ask someone, then?"

Jack shrugged. "Cause I don't wanna. Besides, the chicks in our class are either taken or… eh."

"So, _I _have to ask Astrid but you get to walk out of this freely?" Hiccup glared at him narrowly, shaking his head. "Isn't that like… a double standard?"

"Whatever _that _is," Jack grinned. "And basically, yeah. I'll be like… your wingman."

"Oh jeez…" his face fell into the palm of his hand, ruffling his bangs across his fingertips. Jack's smile melted down a bit when he noted the flustered look on Hiccup's face, like he was _honestly _unsure of the entire thing. Aw crap. He was being pushy again, wasn't he?

Taking a minute to let the atmosphere die down, he took a deep breath and patted the top of his head. Hiccup looked over at him with a sideways glance and Jack tried to ignore how much he oddly liked the way it looked.

"Look, Hic," he thought about how to word himself carefully for a minute, opening and closing his mouth a few times with a lack of words. "I know it's kinda scary, and honestly I don't really… _think_ I've ever liked someone like you do Astrid, but uh… I dunno. I think you should go for it. Like, the worst she can do is say no, right? And that's not the worst thing in the world."

Hiccup shrugged. "I guess."

"You're a good kid, Hic," he wasn't really thinking about what he was saying anymore to be honest. It just sort of came out naturally and it made his heart guts throb in a pleasantly awkward way. "And you're really funny, and kind of the _biggest _dork but in a good way."

The look on Hiccup's face was really weird, like he was listening closely; it made Jack's stomach do a flip, oddly enough and… okay yep. Yep, yep, yep he _definitely_ was saying something stupid and Jack needed to stop _right _freaking now before he got any stupider.

Clearing his throat and glancing down at his feet, Jack wiggled his toes and continued. "She'll totally say yes. I'm sure of it."

Hiccup was oddly quiet beside him, and for it minute he worried that he'd said something wrong. But when a fist playfully nudged his arm, he glanced over and was reassured by his best friend's smile.

"Thanks, Jack."

And as his brain completely fried, all he could think to do was nod in response.

* * *

The night of December 10th was sleepless and weird.

Jack tossed and turned a lot more than usual, rolling along the length of his bed with an exhausted groan. He was tired – oh my _god _was he tired – after hours of mind-bending math problems and tediously repetitive history readings, but it felt like his thoughts were racing at a million miles a minute. He couldn't keep his mind blank for more than a moment; the second his brain clicked back on he was up; eyes open, heart pounding, and bitterly conscious. Jack found most of his stupid thoughts regarding the dance in two weeks, and his worry for Hiccup that he'd end up copping out. And then came that _pathetic _little slip of his earlier on playing over and over in his head. Jack wasn't even sure _why _he said it in the first place, but he was ready to crawl in a hole and die of embarrassment for it.

None of that was particularly a lie, though; Hiccup really was hilarious (though incredibly and irritatingly sarcastic) and the greatest dork Jack had ever known. They were two things in his personality that stuck out – and those weren't even his best qualities. Yeah, Jack liked a lot about his best friend. It was… probably really weird that he noticed so much, or that he thought about him so much but Hiccup interested him. He had since day one and now all his observations were coming back to bite him in the ass. Why did he say what he did? Jack honestly didn't know. It just felt… _right _to say, in a way, and it wasn't as if he was lying. Hiccup was upset and he wanted to cheer him up, that's all—it just… came out weirdly. He didn't just pat him on the back and say it'd be alright, or apologize for something stupid he did like usual.

Burying his face in his pillow with a loud groan, Jack tried to force his eyes shut.

None of this made _any _sense.

* * *

**Author's Note: **…I'm going to apologize for the upcoming Hicstrid again; I _swear _this helps things move along, just bear with me, please~ Hopefully Jack will balance things out. Thank you for the reviews and follows, sorry for the unusually late update!


	23. Dancing

**Author's Note: **You guys are awesome, really! I'm going on vacation tomorrow, so the next update might be a bit of a late one too. This chapter is covering Hiccup being an awkward derp trying to ask out Astrid, and then the dance and a few other things. Jack's birthday being on the same day was a total coincidence, I swear; I'm reusing a calendar from 2012 to time-mark these, and the day before Winter break ended up being his birthday.

**Basic Overview: **The Winter Dance is right around the corner, and Hiccup can't quite get himself to ask Astrid to go with him.

**Point of View: **3rd person: Jack/Hiccup alternation

**Warnings: **Major Hicstrid

**Age Reminder: **Jack is turning 13 (7th grade); Hiccup is 11 (7th grade); Emma is 11 (5h grade)

* * *

**Chapter 23: **Dancing

**December 13****th**

**Thursday**

* * *

Asking Astrid to the dance should _not _have been this difficult.

Henrik woke up on that cold, winter morning expecting the entire situation to play out easily. He tugged on one of his sweaters (which was _actually _starting to fit him now that he was growing) and slid into a pair of jeans without any real thought about it; Toothless oh-so-graciously escorted him down the stairs, and after chugging a glass of milk he hurried outside to catch the bus, nearly sliding on some of the black ice lingering on the sidewalk. His head still buzzed angrily with Jack's little suggestion from a few nights ago during the bus ride to school, and he figured out a battle-strategy in his head that seemed pretty much fool proof: _seemed _being key-word, here. It was pretty simple; Henrik would ask her during lunch, since the committee would be selling tickets during each lunch wave anyways. Usually Astrid was the first person to get to their table, so he'd have a better opening if he got there before her friends. Once he was there, he'd go right for it all smooth-like and it'd be smooth sailing from there!

_How _he planned on asking her was… well, still a work in process, but the point still stood. Jack had a point, and he was getting annoyed with his own ability to say how he felt.

It was solid plan until he hit Art class, and the silence among his peers (save for the scratches of pencil against paper, and a few scattered whispers here and there) allowed his thoughts room to flourish. All he'd really accounted for was asking her, but what the heck was he supposed to do if she couldn't go, or if she flat-out said no? It was possibility he hadn't considered, and that _dreadful _timidity in him made it seem like the end of the world – when really, it wasn't that big of a deal. And even after mentally smacking sense into himself about it, he sat through L.A overthinking every possible outcome and fumbling to form a proper response to each until his thoughts became an extremely elaborate "how to get Astrid to go with me" flow-chart. By the time Lunch came around, he couldn't quite find the strength to ask her—let _alone _form a coherent thought. He had two more chances that day to ask her but… well, let's just say he didn't take them.

The worst wasn't his cowardice when it came to asking her, oddly enough; it was telling Jack and listening to him groan about it on the bus ride home. He went on and on about how he was being stupid about this, and he constantly cracked jokes about how if things didn't pan out they could always mope around the punch bowl. Henrik shrugged it off like he usually did, and reassured his best friend that yes – he was _definitely _going to ask her to go with him, or at the very _least _dance with her while they were there. And Jack seemed oddly satisfied with his determination. Embarrassingly enough, the freckled preteen spent most of his night pacing around his room trying to figure out how he was going to go about doing this without screwing up. Toothless acted as his stand-in Astrid, confusedly staring up at him as he fumbled for words and smacked himself in the forehead repeatedly when he realized just how _lame _the entire thing really was.

I mean, it wasn't supposed to be that hard, right? Usually in TV shows when the shy, awkward main character klutzes around their crush it ends up being endearing somehow. A few plot twists plus twenty-something minutes of them being a total weirdo and voila—instant girlfriend. But for Henrik, all it did was make him look like an idiot and confuse the living _heck _out of Astrid when she asked him a simple question and his only response is a winded "Uhhhhh…"

Man, what he wouldn't give to have some of thatTV awkward…

Astrid seemed to a have a pretty good humor about this kind of stuff, though. Usually when he fell on his face she laughed it off and helped him regain his balance, and when his stuttering became an issue it didn't seem to faze her. Sometimes in gym when he apparently _had _to take part in the activities, she had his back and explained how to _not _get pummeled in the face with a volleyball (after the 6th grade incident, Henrik couldn't thank her enough for that). Sure, she made the occasional jab at him but it was all in good fun—or at least his arm breaking like glass when she playfully punched it made it seem that way. All-in-all, there was a _lot _about her that Henrik liked and it _seemed _like she felt the same way. Then again, he could totally be imagining that and Astrid could've been just being nice to him this entire time.

Henrik let his back hit the mattress with long, exasperated sigh. This was going to be a _lot _harder than he initially thought.

* * *

**December 15****th**

**Saturday**

* * *

"_You _wanna go to a _dance?"_

Emma lowered her fork with a loud _clang _and gaped at her older brother, an incredulous look making its way onto her face. Jack glanced over at his sister with a quick shrug and nodded, twirling a few of his ramen noodles around his fork before slurping it into his mouth. He swallowed it down before responding, "I guess. It seems pretty lame, though.

"Then why go if you don't even want to?" she shook her head, furrowing her eyebrows. "I mean, we could celebrate your birthday here and everything!"

He blinked for a moment, processing what she'd just said. Wow. For the first time, he'd _actually _forgotten his birthday was coming up—on the day _of _the dance, no less. Scratching at the back of his neck, he refocused his attention. "Well… Hiccup's askin' this girl he really likes, so I figured I'd go keep an eye on him or something."

"Really? Who, who?"

"Uh… remember Astrid, from camp?"

"Awww, really?!" she cooed, smiling thinly. "That's so sweet! Did he ask her already?"

Jack snorted at his sister's excitement, idly stirring his ramen with his fork. "Nah, he keeps chickening out."

"He's probably just really, _really _nervous or something," the young brunette shrugged, sipping her glass of Sprite. "Poor Henrik."

"Eh, he'll be fine." The older boy shrugged, slurping up another fork-full of his ramen. "You're taking this _really _well for someone who's _so_ nuts about him."

Emma reached over to smack him in the arm, scoffing. Jack sniggered. "Oh shut up," she raised her chin proudly and crossed her arms. "_I _think it's really sweet. Astrid was always talking about him at camp and they'd be really cute together."

"Yeah," Jack stirred his ramen more, eyes lowered. "They'd be good together."

And it wasn't necessarily a lie, per say, but his brain didn't register his comment as the truth. A more accurate statement probably would have been "Yeah, it'd be good for _Hiccup _if they got together but it's confusing the living daylights out of me and I'm not even sure _why _I'm helping him." Of course, he held his tongue and decided to ignore his awkward thoughts like usual; it'd be for the better if he forgot about them, anyways. The entire situation was weird, and Emma didn't need to know he was pretty much a freak.

Lunch ended with Emma talking about her classmates, and how she was apparently taller than Jamie now. She hopped out of the kitchen when she placed her bowl in the sink and bolted for the living room, immediately plopping herself down on the couch to watch TV. Jack decided to sit down with her, sprawling out himself on the armchair. His thoughts were getting to be a nuisance; they buzzed angrily about the feelings he kept trying to ignore and prodded at his heart with random observations he'd made. All it came down to was Jack not _wanting _to deal with them. They were meddlesome, and just made it difficult for him to help out his _best _friend. He wanted Hiccup to go out with Astrid, don't get me wrong—but something in his head kept telling him he _really _didn't, either.

He didn't know _what _it was, but it needed to go away. Like, _now. _

* * *

**December 20****th**

**Thursday**

* * *

Henrik was running out of time.

The dance was in one day and every chance he had to ask Astrid was blown by _something, _ranging from his own petty shyness to a couple of her friends pulling her out of the conversation for some dumb reason. And yeah, he would have asked her at lunch but whenever they were alone with each other he completely froze. The worst failure was probably on the 17th, when they had to partner up for some creative project. He was a moment away from getting out his question when the room flooded with an obnoxious ringing noise, and all the teachers escorted them outside in a single-file line. Apparently, one of his idiot classmates decided it'd be funny to pull the fire alarm that afternoon; by the time they got back inside it was time for Lunch anyways.

On the 18th, he tried passing her a note in Social Studies, but—due to his desk neighbor's inability to follow directions—he passed it _back _instead of forward, and it ended up landing on Jack's desk. He glared at his friend from across the room and mouthed back an irritated, "Really?" Henrik shrunk into his seat and – for the seventh time in two weeks – he tried to make himself invisible.

The 19th was regrettably one of the worst (not quite topping the fire alarm incident, but pretty up there too), since he fell flat on his face when he was walking up to her in the hallway. He got so embarrassed that when she turned around he made a break for it and prayed to every god he knew that she didn't see him. Thankfully she didn't seem to notice, and Jack wouldn't stop laughing about it when they met up for a study session at his house. In retrospect, none of this should have surprised him as much as it did. Henrik's luck had always been utter crap, and this was merely proof of that.

And then came the 20th, his closest but not-quite-successful attempt so far.

The closest he'd _actually _gotten to asking her was during gym, while they were sitting on the benching waiting to get called in for the ongoing basketball game. They were having one of their usual odd-ball conversations when she mentioned something about all her friends bugging her to buy a ticket for the dance. Actually deciding to _take _the window of opportunity, Henrik interjected with a shy, "W-Well… do you _want _to go to the dance?"

(Why he failed to add "with me" to the end of that, Henrik would never know.)

"I don't really know. It seems kinda stupid, but I might just go for the heck of it. Ya' know, just to say that I did." She shrugged, turning to look at him. "Are you going?"

"Y-yeah, Jack was talking about going just to screw around or something. I was gonna go make sure he doesn't break anything or get in trouble."

Astrid laughed. "Sounds like a good plan. Maybe I'll see you there, we could hang out."

"Uh… y-yeah," Oh _gods_ he was stuttering like an idiot. "A-Actually… uh, I-I was thinking i-if you wanted… uh maybe we could—"

"HOFFERSON. YOU'RE UP."

Both of them jumped when their coach called her in finally. The blonde girl jumped off the bench onto her feet and threw him a smile. "Guess I'm in. Wish me luck, Henrik!"

The most he could manage as a response was a nod, and he let his face fall into his hands with a sigh.

Jack was going to bust him for this, wasn't he?

* * *

"Hiccup you were so close I could _kill_ you."

Jack shut his history book and let it fall to the floor with a loud boom. He rubbed at his temples and sighed, shutting his eyes. Beside him, Hiccup fidgeted on the mattress. He stuttered a bit, shrugging. "I-I know, I just… ugh." His face fell when Jack looked over, as if he were hanging his head in shame. Rightfully so, though; that was a _pretty _bad screw up. "Maybe I just shouldn't go. I could go bury myself in the backyard or jump off a cliff or something."

"Hate to break it to you, _but,_" The older boy snorted, putting a hand on his shoulder. "You might have to rain check the cliff-diving. I got our tickets on Monday."

"...aw crap."

"Sorry," Jack chuckled. "In retrospect, I should have counted on you chickening out."

Hiccup smacked him in the arm, peeking up at him with narrowed eyes. "Is this supposed to be making me feel better?"

"Actually yes," the older grinned, slinking an arm around his best friend's shoulders. " 'cause we're still going and you're at _least _gonna ask Astrid to dance."

"…I am?"

"Y~ep. It's already been decided, by your super-amazing-wingman, of course."

"J-Jack, I couldn't even ask her to _go _with me, and you seriously expect me to ask her to—"

"Hey, either you do it or I'll ask her _for_ you."

His eyes widened at the notion. Jack's grin widened at the sudden blush on his cheeks. When he started to laugh, Hiccup groaned. "Th-That's not funny, Jack!"

"Who says I'm joking?" he crossed his arms. "Seriously, though; we can hang out and everything but you should definitely ask her to dance."

"I-I told you, I don't know _how _to dance."

"Hiccup you are freaking _impossible,_" the older boy grumbled, hopping off his bed with a quiet grunt. He landed on the balls of his feet and spun on them to face his now extremely confused friend. With a wave of his hand, he commanded, "Well? Get up."

"What for?"

"What do you _think_?" Jack scoffed, tugging him onto his feet by yanking on his arms. His best friend stumbled forward a bit, sliding awkwardly when his prosthetic skidded along the carpet. Naturally, the older boy caught him and helped him regain his balance. "I'm teaching you to dance."

Hiccup's expression blanked. "_Huh_?"

"I'm serious! If you really don't know how I'll show you." Taking a step closer, he choked back a laugh when Hiccup gulped and put his hands on his shoulders. "Just put your hands on my waist."

He flustered a bit, cheeks flushing slightly as he hesitantly obeyed. "Uhhh… I-I think you're too tall."

"Well there's a first…" he mumbled under his breath. "A-Alright, I guess we gotta switch."

After an awkward change of arm positioning, Jack settled his hands on the boy's rather bony hips. He swallowed back the thick lump in his throat and sighed. "Okay. Better?"

"I guess?" Hiccup shrugged indifferently. "This is still freaking stupid."

"_You're _stupid." Glancing down at his feet, he shook his head and bit down on his lower lip. For some odd reason, being this close to Hiccup was… _weird. _His chest felt oddly tight and looking him in the eyes made his stomach do flips. His only reassurance was how uncomfortably nervous his friend seemed too. " 'kay, so… Like, you gotta move your feet… kinda like this."

Taking a few hesitant steps, Hiccup stumbled a bit to follow him. His eyes were locked on the floor, and his prosthetic bumped into Jack's right foot a few times. Groaning with frustration, he rolled his head back. "This is so dumb… What are we even _doing?_"

"Well _you're _failing miserably while I'm killing it over here," Jack retorted with a snigger. "Just watch. You've gotta follow my lead."

"I thought _I _was supposed to be leading."

"Yeah, but you can't even follow. You can lead in a minute; just… wait 'til you get the hang of it first, 'kay?"

"Alright…" He looked down at his feet quickly before peeking back up at the taller brunet. "…how the heck do you even know how to do this, anyways?"

"North dragged me to a wedding when I was little. I got stuck dancing with Emma and we ended up falling on our faces," Jack snorted at the memory of him and his sister toppling over on the dance floor. Oh man, she was _so _mad at him for getting her dress dirty! "So North taught me later. Ya' know, just in case."

Hiccup giggled quietly. "You must have sucked _pretty _bad."

"Not as bad as _you're _sucking. Now come on, move your feet a little."

A few more minutes of stumbling and awkward closeness had Jack's eye twitching in frustration. Hiccup kept trying to hurry ahead of their tempo; he matched his feet with Jack's steps in a way that only made them trip and forced their steps _entirely _out of synch. Eventually Jack had to take a breather, since Hiccup was _not _listening to him and both of them were getting irritated.

The older boy smacked him in the arm and grumbled. "You're not listening to me again."

"Yes I am!" Hiccup defended, retaliating with a slap on the forearm. "Y-You said to follow your lead!"

"Well yeah, but you've gotta move your feet out of the way when step forward. You keep tripping me!"

Hiccup griped. "You could have _told _me that…"

Taking a deep breath and rebuilding his patience brick by boring brick, the older boy returned his hands to the younger's waist and stared somewhere behind him (simply so their eyes wouldn't actually meet in the middle). He calmly shook his head and straightened his back. "Then I'm telling you now. Just… let's try going slow, 'kay? No hurrying ahead. Just follow my lead and quit looking at your feet or I swear to god I'll drop your skinny ass."

Hiccup gaped up at him before nodding and draping his arms over the older boy's shoulders. "…one step at a time, right?"

Jack smiled.

"Yeah. Step by step."

* * *

**December 21****st**

**Friday – Winter Dance/Jack's Birthday**

* * *

Getting dressed never really took this long for Jack.

Generally speaking, he just puts on the first thing out of his dresser and doesn't think about it too much. And at first, that was exactly what he wanted to do — it was a stupid dance, not church; why does it matter what he's wearing? He nonchalantly tugged on a plain black Galaga shirt and faded, gray jeans. However, when he peeked through his window it looked like Hiccup had a button-up shirt on. Now don't get me wrong; Jack couldn't care less about what he wore. But… I guess if Hiccup was trying to dress nice, he should too, right? Right.

Getting dressed took somewhere around ten minutes, while his spikes took him another fifteen (since one of them would _not_ cooperate with him). When he was finally satisfied, he stuffed his ticket in his pocket, grabbed his box of orange Tic Tac's and hopped down the stairs with a grin on his face. Emma smiled at him from the kitchen, and after scarfing down a Hot Pocket, he hurried in to North's study to let him know he was ready. All that was left was fetching the doofus next door.

Jack jokingly decided he was picking Hiccup up like a proper date that night, so he walked over to his house in his favorite blue Bugs Bunny t-shirt and a plain grey vest to knock on the front door. Mr. Haddock seemed rather amused that he'd come over to fetch his best friend; he chuckled heartily when Jack asked if Hiccup was ready to go, and gave the scrawny boy a pat on the back when he hurried out the door. He had a plain, green plaid button-up and one of his black dragon shirts under it; the odd part was that while the dragon shirts usually looked dorky, tonight he looked… well, kinda nice. They hurried across the yard with excited laughs and shoves, hopping into North's mini-van.

Instead of riding shotgun like he usually did, Jack opted to sit in back with Hiccup.

The ride there was a actually a pretty quick one, and when North pulled up to the front entrance the boys were grinning from ear to ear. Giving the old man a quick wave, they hurried inside. The corridor was filled with their classmates; all clumped into their usual mini-cliques as they waited in what Jack assumed was the ticket line. A lot of the girls were wearing make-up (and not… uh… tastefully, at that) while most of the other boys looked the same as usual, with baggy shorts and logoed snapbacks. The two of them hurried into the line, and after ten minutes of listening to girls titter about their dates they were handed glow sticks and finally got into the cafeteria.

Christmas lights were strung all over the walls, providing a colorful pallet of light to the dim-lit room. Glow stick wrists wiggled and waved to the rhythm of the music, focusing into large clumps across the floor. All in all, it didn't look like anyone was _actually _dancing; most of the girls were bouncing up and down like idiots while most of the guys (save for the few staying by their dates) were bumming around the soda stand. Jack and Hiccup made their way in, passing by a group of girls leaving the room. They gave Jack a quick wave and he shrugged it off. Hiccup was walking rather closely to him, and for a while Jack could sworn he was clinging to his arm or something. He didn't seem scared, per say, but the look on his face _definitely _signaled his discomfort. The older boy stopped and looked around, finally spotting Astrid sitting against one of the far walls with her friends. Nudging the younger preteen's side, he pointed in her direction and felt his cheeks warm a bit when Hiccup's lips twitched into a dorky smile.

Hanging out at the dance was pretty awkward, since it seemed like _no one _knew what the heck they were supposed to do. During random songs, Jack would jump into the middle of the room and join in on some of the wild dancing (thought admittedly, watching him try to do the Electric Slide was hilarious). Most of their classmates just bounced up and down like morons to certain songs, and when a slower song came on Hiccup shrank in his seat as Jack glared at him across the room in that way that screamed "Get out there, idiot!" But each time he went to go ask Astrid, he ended up choking up or just having a normal conversation with her. It was _really_ weird, actually.

Two hours in and people had already started to leave. The playlist quickly lack lustered to the same twenty-something songs shuffled lazily, leaving most of the dancers on the dance floor stationary so they could talk to their friends. The sky had darkened even _more _outside; leaving the cafeteria dimly lit with Christmas lights and left over glow sticks. Jack—being the idiot he was—snagged a few of the extra glow sticks and hung them off his belt loops like a luminescent chain. A couple of boys joined in on his fun, and he ended up cracking one open and using it to draw a blue snowflake on the wall. Of course he got yelled at, but it was pretty fun nevertheless.

Looking back toward the wall, Astrid had walked back over to her friends while Hiccup was shying around by the windows. He sat on the ledge and hung his head, stealing quick but _hardly _subtle glances at her. Jack rolled his eyes. This kid really _was _helpless, wasn't he? The older brunet hurried over to the DJ and requested something slow, then plucked off his shoes and used his socks to slide across the linoleum. When he neared Hiccup, he almost smacked straight into the wall but fell on his back instead. The freckled preteen laughed at him obnoxiously, before turning his attention to the DJ.

"Alright we're taking things down a notch," he announced over the microphone, earning a few _Oooh_'s from the girls across the room. "This is your last slow dance for the night, boys and girls!"

Peeking over at his friend, Jack stumbled onto his feet and put a hand on his shoulder. Hiccup jumped a bit. "…_well? _You gonna sit there and stare at her, or are you actually asking her to dance?"

Hiccup gulped, glancing between Jack's crossed arms and Astrid's distant form nervously. He fidgeted with the hem of his flannel shirt and stuttered, "I-I dunno… She's with all her friends and-"

"So what?" The older boy chuckled, playfully elbowing his arm. "Just go over and ask her to dance."

Hiccup's eyes lowered. "I-I don't know if I can do that, Jack…"

Was he serious? "Oh come _on_; it's the last slow dance of the night and you're chickening out again?" The older brunet spun his friend around by gripping his shoulders, resting his chin on his plaid-clad shoulder. Hiccup tensed under his touch, squirming a bit. "It'll be fine, Hic. Just go for it or I'll ask her _for _you."

He jumped at the last comment, narrowing his dim, green eyes as he peeked back. "You wouldn't."

Jack threw him a Cheshire smile. "Wouldn't I? Now get in there, would ya'? It's only like, a 4 minute song and you're _seriously _running out of time."

Giving him a less-than-playful nudge, Jack watched Hiccup stumble forward awkwardly before he spun on his good heel and hurried back over with the _weirdest_ look on his face; his lips were pressed together thinly and his eyebrows weaved upward, the eyes beneath them narrowed. His cheeks flushed a light pink, highlighted by the low light and abundant supply of glow sticks around him. The older grumbled, crossing his arms in a huff.

Hiccup's expression softened, his eyes lowering. "Jack, I-I don't think I can do this—"

"Sure you can!" He grabbed his hand out of impulse and tugged him forward. Hiccup nearly jumped out of his skin. "Come on."

"W-wait, what are you—" He must have realized the direction they were going in, since he yanked him back with his arm and started yelling. "JACK WAIT THIS REALLY ISN'T A GOOD IDEA."

"Shhhh just shut up and let me do my thing~"

They finally reached Astrid, and she turned to them with a warm smile. "Oh, hey Henrik. Hi Jack."

"Hey Astrid," Jack cleared his throat and shrugged all of Hiccup's attempts to cover his mouth or hit him off. "So uh… what's up?"

She shrugged. "Not much, I guess. Everyone's leavin' on me so there's nothing to do." She glanced down and sniggered. "…well, I guess that explains where all the glow sticks went."

"Hey, they were up for grabs and I _absolutely _could not just leave them there!"

"I'm _so _sure," the blonde girl rolled her eyes, noticing Hiccup half-cowering behind him. "…Henrik, you okay? You uh… you seem kinda nervous."

He gave a shaky thumbs up. "Y-Yup, I-I'm good. J-Just uh… s-sugar rush from… uh… all the soda… or something…"

"_Actually_," Jack interjected, throwing him a quick smirk. "My buddy Hi—_Henrik _over here was wondering if you uh… wanted to dance with him?"

Oh man. The way Hiccup tensed up and completely froze in place was _priceless. _Jack stepped out of the way to let them talk to each other face-to-face and his stomach did a backflip when he noticed how dark the idiot's blush had gotten. Astrid brushed a few stray strands of hair from her eyes and smiled at him, shyly grabbing his hand; the older brunet thought the kid was going to burst into flames or something when she did. "I uh… I'd love to."

Jack gave him a thumbs up when they stepped out onto the dance floor and grinned from ear to ear as they shyly stood closer together. From the first few steps, it seemed like all his earlier frustration paid off; despite Hiccup being an inch shorter than Astrid (whoops, he'd forgotten to take that to account), he was doing a decent job with his feet and (though the distance might have thrown Jack off a bit) it didn't look like he was looking at his steps too much either.

But as he spun on his heel and sauntered out of the room (just to hang out in the hallways for a while), Jack realized he didn't feel as happy as he initially expected.

Seeing Hiccup dance with Astrid was pretty cool, don't get me wrong; it was about _time _that little dork made a move (even if he technically had to initiate it for him). It sparked a certain gladness at first, an excitement for his friend in his thoughts. After a year of nudging and a _ton_ of blown opportunities, his best friend finally gained the courage to make a move. He was happy for Hiccup, honestly and truly. But there was something under it. Something unpleasant, kind of like when someone pinches your arm too hard and the sting jolts through you, or when you stub your toe and you feel it zap all the way up your leg. It was subtle, in its own way, but present and starting to fester as Jack focused on it. Thinking on it only made it worse but as he made his way out of the cafeteria and into the hallway, he couldn't focus on anything else.

He plopped himself in one of the outside chairs and tried convincing himself that he was happy so it'd go away, so it'd stop confusing the heck out of him, but thinking about the stupid grin on Hiccup's face when he said it'd be alright only made it worse. It was like he was angry for no good reason, and while thinking about the good times with his best friend usually made him happy, now they frustrated the living daylights out of him. He couldn't wrap his head around it. Jack sank in his seat and huffed.

This was stupid! I mean, the dance was fun, Hiccup got the girl, and Jack came out of this as Wingman of the year — it's a win/win situation, right?

So… Why did he feel like garbage? There was an inexplicable weight growing in the pit of his belly, like when he ate so much food it made his limbs go limp and his stomach start to ache. The more he tried to ignore it, the worse it got—and when he _did _cave in and reflect, his thoughts turned to Hiccup. He focused on his smile or that _stupid _habit he had of making himself look smaller than he actually was when he was nervous, and all the little things that didn't mean anything until Jack _really _started thinking about them. They took on new meanings, like little pins poking at him in the best and worst ways.

The problem became a lack of tangibility. It was no longer some petty, physical boundary lazily placed between them that Jack could easily topple over with an apology or a menial form of reconciliation. No, this became a war with two opposing sides that — as a whole — was meant to compile into a single fleet. It became a conflict of emotion, but of a more complex stature. Jack didn't understand what he was feeling at all; it was something toxic yet enthralling, something that prodded at his heart when Hiccup smiled but seared every vein in his body at the thought of Hiccup's absence or disapproval. It was something that he wanted the boy to reciprocate — despite his own lack of understanding. Jack declared it frustration, of some kind — some meager, dreadfully sweet frustration that kept him from sleeping when Hiccup slept over, but lulled him toward a joy that allowed him to ignore it.

It didn't make sense. It mocked his confusion and toyed with his thoughts. It killed him when he explored the sentiment and frustrated him to no end. But — oddly enough — he could hardly call the rush unpleasant. It swept from the tips of his fingers to his toes when Hiccup smiled, and conducted his heart at a terrible tempo when he laughed at his jokes. There was a sentiment beneath his thoughts, one that slid under every word he spoke and bubbled in his stomach when his observance exhumed various aspects of Hiccup's personality. It was complex in nature, with exceptions and annoying little ticks that flared his temper at the weirdest of times; when their conversations led to his best friend's relationship, it sparked a certain… interest in every word he spoke or expression he presented. Yet at the same time, it made him feel confused. Sometimes sad, for no real reason.

Contrary to his usual curiosity, Jack didn't want to understand it. He just wanted it gone. It was a meddlesome emotion that made his knees weak and his pulse rise for no reason. It made his eagerness to see Hiccup with Astrid die down into a dull indifference, and sometimes plunged it into a complete disdain. It was beyond his own level of understanding and in a way, it frightened him.

Jack had considered many horrible things. He had labeled it jealousy for a while, since yeah — it admittedly bugged the crap out of him that Hiccup was getting closer to Astrid, and that she was pretty much all they talked about now. But jealousy didn't quite cover it, no; Jack didn't spite the girl or anything like that (admittedly, she was a _really _cool chick). He just kinda… I dunno, missed paling around with his best buddy. For a while, it took on the label of petty hormones, but that didn't do his feelings justice either. It belittled every conflicting thought in his head to a meager chemical. And Jack had half a mind to consider it crushing, but the notion made him feel sick to his stomach. Something like wasn't _right _in his head, and the entire idea was… no necessarily _wrong, _but…

The entire situation was weird; inexplicably one-sided and _horrendously _weird—and Jack didn't want to deal with it at _all._

* * *

The car ride from the dance was a quiet one, with its only soundtrack provided by Hiccup's excited recollections.

He was pretty much bouncing in his seat telling Jack every detail about his dance with Astrid, and about how she apparently gave him another hug (it was adorable how much wonder he found in them, really). The smile on his face was unwavering and bright, even when they pulled into the driveway and Jack walked him back to his house. It even stayed on his lips when he gave the older boy a hug and thanked him, hurrying inside with the most peculiar bounce in his step. The older boy tried to ignore how cute it was and made his way back to his own home.

Jack loped up the stairs that night and plopped onto his bed without changing out of his clothes. The most he could manage out of himself was to peel off his shoes and toss the vest in his hamper while his face met the mattress. Laying down felt nice after a long night of excitement (even if he could hardly breathe with his face in against the comforter), and his limbs quickly fell into a limp comfort. He rolled onto his back and sighed, staring up at the ceiling blankly as sleep – like _always _– eluded him.

It hadn't even crossed his mind that they were on winter break now; the weekend would most likely be dedicated to North's annual Christmas/Birthday party, more time to fool around, and his trip to the dentist that North seemed _oh _so insistent about. Oddly enough, the usual excitement he felt for the notion of vacation was dim. He didn't _feel _any different than usual, for once. Turning his thoughts to the party, he'd almost forgotten about his birthday. Looking at the clock, he watched the digital numbers flick to 11:21pm.

Jack Overland turned 14 with a sour feeling in his stomach.

* * *

**Author's Note: **So here's a funny story, I _actually _had to look up how to slow dance and try it, because I have no idea how to write it (mostly cause I'm not much of a dancer in any way shape or form). We're slowly hitting the stronger Hicstrid bits and Jack's little realization (and a point I can't say yet). Thank you for the reviews and followers, you darlings, and I'll see you in a week :)


	24. A Little Longer

**Author's Note: **Thank you Ginaaaa~ (she has been helping me power through this one all week!) Admittedly, this is even more filler~ Can't get enough of it, can we? I had a plot point I wanted to hit here, but it turns out I have to spread it out a bit. So this chapter is covering some small things and taking a bit of the heat off of Jack (well, _kind of_). Honestly I wanted to write some fluff and stuff, so this is a bit of a short one. Oh! And we're introducing a new character (and setting up an _important _introduction for later). I'll have to explain who the second one is when we get there but oh well.

**Basic Overview: **The annual Christmas/Birthday party has arrived, but it's coming to an unusual close.

**Point of View: **3rd person: Jack/Hiccup alternation

**Warnings: **Nothing, actually.

**Age Reminder: **Jack is 13 (7th grade); Hiccup is 11 (7th grade); Emma is 11 (5h grade)

* * *

**Chapter 24: **A Little Longer

**December 27****th**

**Thursday**

* * *

Christmas had come and gone, bringing a fresh blanket of snow and an eventful morning for Emma and Jack.

It was a pretty quick day, from what Jack could recall; like the child he was, he rolled around in his bed all night since he was unable to fall asleep. He paced his room and even knocked on Hiccup's window sometime around midnight (oh _man _he was mad, though!). When morning finally rolled in, Emma skipped into his room with a bright smile and they ran downstairs for breakfast. When the three of them finished up their pancakes, North finally let them open presents in the living room. Most of them ended up being clothes and a few games Jack had asked for, until Emma tugged out a box labeled for both of them and they unwrapped a Wii. Suffice to say, Christmas day was spent hooking it up to the TV and playing around on Just Dance (Emma's gift, I swear!). Jack was absolutely _determined _to beat North at some Russian dance, but the old man ended up winning with a near perfect score.

December 26th served as a "morning after" kind of day, where all the excitement of the holidays quickly died down and everyone spent the day lounging around. Jack remembered spending most of the day catching up on sleep and playing around in the snow with his sister. Hiccup wasn't able to stay out for very long, but he came outside for a while to let Toothless run in the yard. He ended up sliding on some ice at one point, landing flat on his back into at _least _a foot of snow. Jack brought him inside and laughed the entire time, since _apparently _he was so cold it made his cheeks flush a deep pink, and the tip of his nose even blushed red. They watched cartoons for a while and curled up under about six different blankets with hot chocolate.

The morning of December 27th was slow one, with the house alive with party preparations and music.

North was cooking with Emma as usual, while Jack hurried around the house doing odd jobs the old man set aside for him; moving boxes to the laundry room, picking up the living room, and Jack's yearly _favorite _task of untangling the Christmas lights from the hall closet – this year with a new twist, since he opened the door and a mound of blankets came toppling out. After removing and refolding the offending articles of the blanket-avalanche, he snagged the box of lights off the shelf and sat down for about twenty minutes trying to untangle them. Finally satisfied with his work, he hopped down the hall with his arms full and strung the lights along the railings. Noting the unusual extra string, he plopped it on his bed for later and returned to North downstairs.

Emma was decorating gingerbread men while their adoptive father focused his attention on baking something else. He smiled back at Jack as he rounded the corner into the kitchen and gestured for him to come in. The older brunet boy hopped into the room with a grin on his face and leaned against the fridge. "Lights are up and the living room's clean." He reported proudly, kicking his feet. "Anything else I can help with?"

"I think we are all set," North smiled, patting the boy on the head.

A smile worked its way on to Jack's face. Rolling between the balls of his feet and his heels, he quietly asked, "Then… can I go get Hiccup?"

"Yes, yes, you can get him." The old man chuckled. On that note, Jack hurried out of the room and stumbled to the front door quickly but clumsily. Sure, he'd seen Hiccup a few days ago but he was oddly excited to go seem him yet again. As he pulled the door open with a loud creak, a gust of arctic wind crashed against his cheeks and tickled the very tip of his nose with a swift but pleasant nip. Before he could get down the steps, North hollered from the kitchen. "Are you crazy?! _Shoes, _Jack!"

With a loud, dramatic groan he hurried inside, tugged on a pair of old sneakers, and trudged through a foot of snow into his neighbor's yard. The wind tossed his hair messily and tugged at the thin fabric of his hoodie with a tight grip, and by the time he managed to hide under the awning, he could feel the snow in his shoes and the ends of his jeans _drenched. _Shaking it off with a quick brush of his hands against his clothes, he tapped on the front door and bounced on the balls of his feet excitedly when Toothless's yips echoed through the living room. His heart beat a little bit faster when he registered the clack of Hiccup's prosthetic nearing, and his squeaky voice begging Toothless to stop barking.

The door cracked open, and the little warrior came charging out the second he could squeeze through the crack. Jack held up his hands dejectedly and knelt down, letting him hop around and sniff his hand to his little heart's content. Of course, the _second _he tried to pet him Toothless growled.

"Oh, come _on, _bud… Jack's here like, every other day." Hiccup sighed, plucking him off the deck. He gave his friend a sideways glance and shook his head. "You'd think he'd have gotten used to you by now."

Jack smiled. "He's just mad that I'm stealing you again, huh?"

"Probably," Hiccup rolled his eyes, grinning crookedly. He nodded toward the living room. "You can come in for a while, if you want. Just gotta get dressed quick."

"Ya' know, I was wondering why it looks like you just rolled out of bed."

"Watch it," his friend growled, elbowing him in the arm groggily. Combing his bangs out of his eyes with a sigh, Hiccup strided back upstairs, leaving Jack to sit on the couch with Toothless. Despite him being so small and visually unthreatening, the little guy was a _surprisingly _excellent guard. If Jack so much as twitched his arm the wrong way or shifted in his seat, he shot him a narrow glare that ordered him to stay still. Of course he complied, and settled on twiddling his thumbs and looking around the room at random knick-knacks on the wall-shelves. When he finally hobbled down the stairs again, Toothless hopped to his side with bright, green eyes and a wagging tail. Hiccup made his way to the door and dramatically gestured toward the outdoors with a wave of his arm.

The two of them made their way back to Jack's house, trekking through the snow with an odd bounce in their steps.

* * *

The party was supposed to start at five in the afternoon, but people started showing up about two hours beforehand.

Just like he did every year, Jack hunted around the house for North's infamous hidden Mistletoe (making sure to leave Hiccup upstairs and at a safe distance; there would be no repeats of last time, he swore it!) and spotted it above the fridge in the kitchen. And at that moment, every plan he had for stealing food and stashing it in his room went flying out the window. With a smug, excited grin he marched upstairs and _proudly _declared to his best friend that yes—he _did _find the Mistletoe and they were probably going to end up stuck upstairs around 7 this year. The two of them agreed on fooling around downstairs for a while and ended up in an intense round of Just Dance with Emma. Jack and her were getting _way _too into it than they probably should have, while Hiccup stood in one place and just mimicked the arm movements—and the adults just cooed about how adorable the three of them were.

Amusingly enough, Emma tried to convince Mr. Haddock to jump in, but he claimed he "doesn't dance". Hiccup even sided with her on this one and tried to get him to take his place—of course, to no avail; but it was a valiant effort nonetheless!

Eventually their sudden-death match was put on pause so Jack could blow out the candles on his cake (blue frosting, as usual) a few minutes before they were supposed to flee upstairs. He ended up stumbling into the kitchen when he wanted a soda, and grimaced when he noticed the Mistletoe mockingly dangling above him. Looking around, he sighed with relief at the lack of witnesses and scurried into the living room again, plopping himself down on the couch next to his best friend. The alcohol came out at 7pm on the dot, so North shooed them back upstairs.

The two of them didn't particularly do too much, other than the usual Pokémon competitions Jack _insisted _they play on their GBAs (apparently Hiccup had a DS now, but he didn't care) for old time's sake, until the game grew tiresome. They closed their handhelds and tossed them onto the beanbag, lying next to each other on the mattress with twin sighs. Hiccup kicked his legs around, while Jack folded his arms behind his head.

"_So,_" the older boy huffed. "What do you wanna do?"

"Dunno," he shrugged. "I've got like… 22 inches of Christmas lights we could play with."

Hiccup raised an eyebrow. "…do I even _want _to know?"

"Hey, don't give me that look. North had extras, so I took 'em for fun!"

"What are you even gonna _do _with them?"

Jack shrugged. "Build a fort? String 'em above my bed, maybe?"

The younger sighed, rolling his eyes. "Dork…"

Silence settled between them for a moment, allowing an idea to take shape in Jack's head.

"Feel like taking a walk?" he asked, quickly interjecting before Hiccup could open his mouth to sass him. "And before you ask what for, I figured it'd be cool to go see all the Christmas lights before everyone takes 'em down."

Hiccup paused for a moment as if he were _really _thinking about it, before nodding with lop-sided twitch of his lips.

"…well, it's not like we have anything else _better_ to do…"

* * *

Henrik must have slid on the ice on at least _six _different occasions—and they hadn't even walked away from the house yet!

The deck wasn't as slippery as the staircase, so when they finally hit the steps Jack made him jump down the last two steps (to avoid slipping and hurting himself) and caught him at the bottom. Of course, when he finally hit the ground and went to take a step, he slid over some black ice and nearly face-planted on the ground, had Jack not tugged him onto his feet by the back of his jacket. Slowly but surely, they made their way to the snowy sidewalk and carefully strolled away from the brightly-lit house, crossing over a few festive yards belonging to a house whose lights were completely out.

"Well," Henrik sighed, purposely breathing heavily so his breath lingered visibly in the air. "Seems like someone's not in the holiday spirit."

Jack chuckled, stopping in front of the house with a hop. "Yeah, that's old man Mildew's house. He uh… he's pretty…" He thought for a moment, pursing his lips. Oh _wow. _It seemed like he was trying _really _hard to word this nicely. "Well he doesn't like anyone. I haven't seen him leave his house since like… Thanksgiving. But that was _four _years ago, I think."

"No way. You're exaggerating."

"It's true!" he threw up his hands. "He's totally antisocial, and this one time I was taking out the garbage I heard him yelling all crazy-like at Elliot for trespassing."

"…well _was _he?"

"…well yeah, but _still._ He sounded totally nuts." Glaring back at the house, Jack stuck his tongue out as if the alleged crazy-man could see it. He thought for a moment and nodded. "I think he's got a sheep in there, too… Emma and I were playing around here once and I could have _sworn _I heard a sheep."

"Okay, _now_ you're just making stuff up," Henrik laughed, puffing air out of his mouth a few more times.

Jack sniggered. "You look like an ice dragon or somethin'." He held up two fingers and pressed them against his lips. Drawing them back, he snickered. "Hey! Hey Hiccup look, I'm smoking."

The younger boy rolled his eyes, smacking him in the arm playfully. "Oh, knock it off…"

It took a while for them to finally hit the grander displays of Christmas lights, but when they did the asphalt of the street glimmered with dim shimmers of amber and lime. One of their neighbors had woven lights through the hedges and set them to flash, so they watched the topiary shine for what felt like forever with wide eyes and twin sniggers of delight. Henrik felt himself smiling, a thin, sort of meaningless twitch of his lips that came from nothing in particular. The atmosphere of the moment itself was warm and oddly pleasant despite the silence of the night and the lingering red flush settling on his cheeks. He could feel every breeze graze his skin and roll chills up his spine despite how many layers of clothes he had on (chalking it up to two t-shirts, a long-sleeve, a scarf, gloves, and his jacket).

The odd part was that Jack hadn't even brought a jacket (why he was so attached to that stupid blue hoodie, Henrik would never understand) but he didn't seemed bothered. His eyes were locked on the lights in front of them, irises a muddled pallet of pinks and ambers overlaying a humble blue that just barely glimmered underneath. He had the most _childish _smile on his face, like the first time he got Toothless to let him pet him (ya' know… after like, thirty-something growls and bites), but with a softer, more genuine undertone. Pale skin was flushed an unusually dark shade as Henrik looked beneath his eyes; either Jack was _extremely _cold, or _horribly _embarrassed.

Settling on the former, he elbowed him in the arm to gain his attention and huffed. "How are you _not _cold?"

"It's not _that _bad, you big baby." Jack grinned, puffing out his chest dramatically. "Besides, I just don't _get _cold."

"I'm _so _sure. That's _totally _why you're shivering."

What a dork. Henrik could _see _him clenching his muscles to make the quivering stop. "I'm not. Pft... D-Dork…"

"Whatever you say," he sighed, burying his nose in his scarf cozily. Sharp breaths warmed the tip rather nicely, and the burning in his throat eased as he breathed in warmer air. When he peeked over, it looked like Jack's nose was even redder than his. He was sniffling and shivering, that doofus! He doesn't get cold? Yeah _right… _

"Gods you're stupid," he spat before unwinding the fabric around his neck. Jack glared over at him angrily, furrowing his eyebrows in protest to his comment but quickly relieving the tension in them when Henrik stepped a little closer. He ignored the awkward lack of space between them and worked on wrapping his scarf around both their necks, tugging the fabric until it was snug. Jack seemed unusually flustered at the gesture, staring at him with an utterly blank expression and wide eyes. Henrik stuffed his hands into his pockets and sighed. "Better?"

"…I told you I wasn't cold…" He tugged at his end of the scarf and lowered his eyes. For some odd reason, he wouldn't look at his face. "This is _really _weird."

The habit he had of avoiding his gaze was _really _starting to annoy him; it reminded him too much of his seemingly one-sided conversations with his father (nervous eye-darting and his annoying inability to talk with him face-to-face), and Jack was the _last _person he wanted to be avoided by.

"Would you quit complaining?" the younger boy snapped, dinking him on the forehead with the meaty part of his palm. "It's not that big of a deal."

The older brunet grumbled, "Still, though. It's like… I dunno."

"…what does that even _mean?" _

Jack shrugged.

Why was he being so _stupid _about sharing things all of a sudden? This was never a problem before, and now out of nowhere getting so much as an _inch_ too close to Henrik was an absolute travesty.

"Whatever…" he huffed, sinking his shoulders beneath his jacket. Turning to continue on their walk, the two of them quietly hobbled down the snowy sidewalk, eyes lowered but occasionally peeking up at the different rigs their neighbors had hooked up. They didn't really talk much, and there were a few times when Henrik caught Jack looking at him weirdly through his peripherals; he ultimately ended up trying to ignore it, and suggested they head back to the house when the Christmas light set-ups grew lack luster. Much to his dismay, walking back was equally as quiet but somehow even _more _awkward than before. For once it seemed like Jack _didn't _have anything stupid or random to say—his eyes were glued to the ground (save for a few hasty glances upward) and his hands were stuffed in his hoodie's pockets.

There was… something about the entire situation was weird, and worst part was not being able to place why.

* * *

Getting back to the party was an odd change of pace for the two of them, but Jack managed to pull himself back into the swing of things after peeling off his hoodie and boots.

The living room was still packed with nameless guests and tipsy adults, with North and Mr. Haddock laughing about _something _on the larger couch. Hiccup tugged off his jacket and neatly draped it over one of the kitchen chairs, before hurrying over to Jack's side. They tip-toed through the front entrance, ducking low as they made their way to the stair case. Before Jack could make it to the top step, North called from the living room, "Is that you, Jack? Come here, come!"

He cursed under his breath and returned to the living room, guiltily making his way over to the couch with light footsteps. Hiccup followed closely behind him, wobbling a bit on his prosthetic. A few of the adults kept cooing about how big he's apparently gotten, while North continued to make a 'come here' gesture with his hand. Jack threw on the fakest smile he could manage and hopped over.

"…uh… hey… Am I like… in trouble?"

The laughed heartily, patting him on the back roughly. "No trouble! There is someone you must meet."

Oh. Great.

North called out for someone (his voice was a little slurred), waving his hand with a wide, jolly smile as a figure shoved through the crowd. Jack hopped onto the couch, pressing his chest against the back to catch a peek. The man who approached them was surprisingly short (or… well, _anyone _would look short compared to North), with a chrome-dome bald head and unusually gray eyes. He had a blazer and tie on, for some odd reason—which is weird, considering it's a _North _party—accompanied with a stern expression on his face that _hardly _seemed to resemble any form of amusement. He reminded him those stupid kids in his class who take their classes _way _too seriously (Hiccup being one of them, but he has his own classification in Jack's head).

Jack didn't even know who this guy was and he _already _disliked him.

"Jack, this is Manuel Knightly," he gestured for the boy to shake his hand. The brunet reluctantly complied and watched the stranger's expression carefully. Geez, it looked like this guy had a stick shoved up his butt or something… "He is man who bought out business, and new boss."

Welp. Let's put a rain-check on the "disliking" thing; this was basically the guy who paid North to feed him.

"You have already met Emma," he reminded him groggily, before gesturing to Hiccup. "This is Henrik, he is Sven's boy. And my son, Jack."

Jack shot him a little 'what's up' wave. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Knightly."

"There's no need for that; just call me Manny." The man chuckled, giving him a wave of his own. "He seems tall for his age."

"Yep!" he agreed proudly. "5"4 and only 13."

"13? I have a son around your age."

Oh, _fantastic. _Jack did _not _like where that thought was going.

"Er… Cool," He nodded anyways, hopping off the couch. "Well uh… we're just gonna… go back upstairs if it's cool. Um… It was nice to meet you, I guess."

The _second _North waved his hand to dismiss him, the two of them fled to Jack's room.

* * *

Neither of them really knew _when _it was agreed that they were making a blanket fort, but the overwhelming lack of objections reduced the matter to a menial detail.

Jack had dragged in a _monstrous _pile of blankets from the hall-closet while Hiccup cleared some space on the floor; after carefully relocating the beanbag to the _other _side of the room and putting a few of his discarded comic books on the bookshelf, they gathered as many pillows as they could find for a makeshift foundation. Comforters and fleece throws acted as canopies draping over it, creating a skyward quilt of various patterns and prints just above them. The ends were carefully tucked into drawers and underneath Jack's mattress to ensure the steadiness, while Hiccup took the liberty of sneaking downstairs to fetch them soda for their growing stash of supplies. He hobbled back upstairs only to find that Jack had strung the Christmas lights along the top, tucking them in the same places in the drawers. They shut off the lights and filed inside as quickly as possible.

Lying against the pillow-floor, Jack sniggered with delight. "I _told _you the lights would be fun."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah…" Hiccup rolled his eyes, tugging one of the extra blankets over his lap. "This_ is_ pretty cool though. I… kinda wish I had a book to read in here."

The older boy snorted, elbowing him in the arm. "We're in the coolest blanket fort in the history of ever and you want to _read?_ Oh my god you're so lame."

"Hey, unlike _some _people I actually _like _reading."

"Heh. Nerd."

"Idiot."

He lowered his eyes to the blanket and shifted a bit, pulling it over so it covered Jack's lap as well. His heart leapt when Hiccup scooted closer, so that their sides nearly touched; a twitch in his gut made him want to scoot away, but an awkward twist in his heart kind of made him want to hug the idiot.

_Whoa, _whoa back up; _why _did he want to hug him so much?

Frustration settled, and Jack wasn't entirely sure why. He felt an electric confliction zapping away at his brain with the subtle twitch of his best friend's arm and the abrupt, fleeting _warmth _that made his skin crawl. Alarmed by the sudden feelings, he wiggled away, fixing his eyes on the snowflake patterns of the blanket just beside him. He just… needed to focus on something, _anything _else except for Hiccup.

"…are you… mad at me or something?"

The question sent him for a loop. It sent his thoughts stumbling until they finally halted, centric to how oddly _hurt _Hiccup sounded.

"Mad?" Jack repeated, peeking over at him nervously. The melancholic green eyes gazing at him made his heart sink in his chest. "Why would I be mad at you?"

"I dunno I…" Hiccup shook his head a few times and settled on a sigh. "…forget I said anything."

Like _hell _he would.

"No, no, really; what…what's wrong?"

Jack put a hand on his shoulder and furrowed his eyebrows.

"Jack—"

He was clenching his fists and shrinking back and _dammit_ he _really _needed to stop trying to tough-face things like this.

"_Why _would I be mad?"

"I don't know! But you're just… you keep… getting so… weirded out by me," his shoulders drooped. "I thought I _did _something or I dunno…"

"Y-You totally didn't," Jack reassured, bowing his head apologetically. "I uh… I dunno. I guess I've been kinda… um… messed up in the head or… or whatever."

Tilting his head to the side, the younger boy looked over at him with wide, curious eyes. "What do you mean?"

"I uh…"

He'd been thinking about the idiot non-stop, and every time he laugh or looked at him the right way it felt like he was going to pass out. Sometimes when their knees touched or when they hugged Jack felt light-headed and his heart started pounding for _no _reason; he felt… warm and _weird _when Hiccup looked at him or said his name but he didn't know _why. _How was he supposed to put that into _words? _Sheepishly rubbing at the back of his neck, Jack gulped. He lowered his eyes and thought for a moment, not entirely sure how the _heck _he was supposed to answer. Part of him wanted to tell the younger boy exactly what it was he was feeling, while another argued that it was a stupid idea and he _really _shouldn't be so hung-up on this. What he _should _have been was happy—because his friend was by his side, they were in a super-awesome fort, and the dance-plan succeeded.

But all that mental bickering crescendoed from hush considerations to demanding screams for him to say _something_ to get rid of that horrible nausea in his stomach.

"I… I don't really know," he fumbled for an answer, ignoring his rapid pulse. "I guess a lot's been going on and I… can't really keep up or… something like that."

It wasn't a _lie _per say, but not the entirety of the truth at the same time.

Hiccup was giving him the _weirdest _look, like he just sprouted a second head on his shoulders or something. "That's seriously it?"

"…I think?"

"…what do you mean, you _think?_"

"I don't know!"

"Ugh… you're so weird."

He elbowed the younger boy in the gut. Hiccup squeaked. "Oh shut up, you're just as weird as I am."

"Am _not._"

"Are _too."_

The freckled preteen rolled his eyes, letting his bangs flop over his eyes. Without even meaning to, Jack scooted a little closer and ruffled his hair with his hand a little. "…sorry, I guess."

"What for?"

He lolled his head back, letting it lean against the mattress lazily. "Bein' a weirdo or… whatever."

"It's fine," he reassured, mimicking the movement on his own. "Things have been crazy lately, I get it."

He really didn't, but something about him at least _trying _to understand made the older brunet inexplicably happy.

* * *

Hiccup fell asleep sometime around midnight, with his head on Jack's shoulder and a blanket tugged up both their chests.

He drifted off in the middle of one of their comic-rants while Jack was going off on a tangent about how Doctor Fate wouldn't last two seconds against Thor; his voice trailed off when he felt the younger boy's head droop down and land on his shoulder tiredly. He tried nudging the boy off, but felt a gradual dead-weight on his side; looking closer, he noted how tightly Hiccup had his eyes shut, as well as the dreamy expression plastered across his unconscious face. He breathed lightly, chest rising and falling at a slow but steady beat, while his fingers were curled into fists on his lap.

…was it weird to say he was cute when he slept?

Shaking off the thought, Jack chose to ignore the half of his brain _screaming _at him to shove Hiccup off and tugged him a little bit closer, slinking an arm around his shoulders and resting his cheek against the top of his head. Oddly enough, he felt comfortable this way; the blanket helped keep both of them comfortably warm, while having Hiccup so close was just… _nice. _Wanted. _Welcomed, _even.

And as he felt his eyes droop shut and his thoughts clear, he decided that maybe having a crush on Hiccup wouldn't be the _worst _thing in the world.

* * *

**Author's Note: **And~ bleh. That's all I got for this one. Next chapter another introduction and some light shed on the whole "hey Hicstrid happened" thing. Thank you for reading and following~


	25. But Honestly

**Author's Note: **I'm back from Florida; hello everyone~ This chapter I've got a character introduction that I typed up a brief explanation at the bottom (it's a character from the Guardians of Childhood books, and I'm not entirely sure if everyone is familiar with him). He's a keeper, from what I have planned; meaning he'll be here for most of the story, but not as a major character. I also got a few reviews asking if this ends with HiJack, and it does; I swear the **HiJack is on its way, so just give it some time**. Yes, there will be Hicstrid beforehand and I apologize for that, but there's some major development coming out of all this other stuff, I swear. The chapter title is a Foo Fighters song I like (I'm terrible with names so… most of these are part of my music library).

** Basic Overview: **While Hiccup figures out his relationship with Astrid, Jack makes a new friend.

**Point of View: **3rd person: Jack/Hiccup alternation

** Warnings: **Hicstrid and an intro

**Age Reminder: **Jack is 13 (7th grade); Hiccup is 11 (7th grade); Emma is 11 (5h grade)

* * *

**Chapter 25: **But, Honestly—

**January 2****nd**

**Wednesday**

* * *

Going back to school after break was the _worst._

Henrik had to bump up his bedtime from around two in the morning to midnight (which of course, never ended up happening but he felt better pretending to try), and Wednesday morning felt more like a Monday—which had to be the _worst _part, since waking up on hump day suddenly felt like a chore. He rolled out of his bed with a loud, exasperated _ugh _and tugged on the comfiest sweater on his dresser before sliding on his prosthetic. Giving Toothless a scratch under the chin, the freckled brunet lazily combed the knots of his hair and threw his backpack over his shoulder. His vision slurred and his eyelids heavily drooped over the jades of his eyes, blurring all four walls around him to splotches of green. Every limb in his body screamed at him to lie down again, his left leg in particular as it shuddered on certain steps. Nearly sliding when the metal end hit the wooden floor, he let out a quiet squeak and clung to the door frame as if his life depended on it.

Yeesh, since when did being awake at six in the morning feel worse than banging his stump against a wall?

Carefully making his way down the stairs, Henrik yawned audibly and rubbed at his eyes tiredly. Toothless hurried down the stairs and slipped past him, waiting at the bottom with a wagging tail and that usual gleam in his eyes that meant he wanted food. He yipped loudly, earning a few _shh_'s from his master – which of course, only encouraged him to bark even _louder. _The brunet sighed, clinging to the railing with both hands as he groggily made his way down. "I'm comin', I'm comin'…" he grumbled. None of the lights were on in the living room, and a pair of shoes was missing from the pile by the front door. Judging by the lack of grey in the driveway and the lazily-written note stuck to the fridge, Henrik made the safe assumption his father wasn't home and shrugged. It wasn't that big of a deal anymore, really. He was pretty used to being by himself. Or… well, by himself with Toothless, I should say.

After flicking on the kitchen light and filling up Toothless's food bowl, he stumbled across the kitchen to fetch an apple off the counter. While he was by the stove, he glanced at the digital clock; he found himself having to squint a little just to make out 6:32am. The numbers didn't quite match just how _dark _the sky was outside; if the moon were still out and his alarm hadn't gone off that morning, Henrik probably would have woken up and assumed it was night! He scowled at the clock; never had he hated three numbers so much...

At 7am, he gave Toothless a pat on the head, grabbed his scarf off the couch, and hurried outside to wait for his bus on the deck. The moment he opened the front door, a wall of cold smacked him in the face and pinched the tip of his nose. He could tell without looking that his cheeks were getting red, so he tugged his scarf around his neck and buried his nose in it, sighing comfortably when the fleece grazed his skin. He sat on the top step and rested his cheek on his fist, glancing quietly at the winter scene around him. The sidewalk was _finally _visible, shimmering with a wet shine that varied in depth around little grains of salt. The roads were fully plowed by now; the evidence remained as snow banks lining the other sides of the street, and a few mailboxes knocked over. Henrik sniggered to himself. Someone was _definitely _going to complain.

And of course, his next-door-neighbor's house was still covered in Christmas lights and slowly melting piles of snow. The snowman Jack spent two or three hours making with Emma was slowly starting to melt so the pebble-smile on his face awkwardly drooped into a lop-sided smirk. Icicles draped from the gutters and delicate frost patterns painted the living room windows; small finger-width trails in them traced the silhouette of a bunny on one window, and a poorly-drawn snowflake on the other.

Speaking of Jack, Henrik watched the front door pop open and his best friend slip out, dragging his feet with each step. Before the older boy tugged the hood of his black Triforce hoodie up the back of his head, Henrik could make out just how scraggily and… well, _definitely _not spiky it was. Oddly enough, it stood up in some places and sank in others, creating the illusion that Jack had _literally _just rolled out of bed. The younger brunet sniggered. Jack must have forgotten to spike it that morning or something. The older boy glanced over shortly after the brief display and a warm smile stretched across his lips. He waved from across the yard and Henrik returned the gesture lazily.

The bus came shortly after, so Jack ran across the yard to help him across the ice.

* * *

"They should make it illegal to go to school before the sun's up…"

Henrik snorted at Jack's tired grunts and groans beside him, but nodded to affirm his comment. "No kidding. It's still like… _night _outside."

"This is ridiculous…" the older boy yawned, raking his fingers through his bangs lazily. "School should start at noon."

"You _do _realize we'd end up going to night school if we came in that late, right?"

"Hey, 's better than waking up at 6 in the morning," he sighed. His eyes shot open for a moment as if he'd forgotten to consider something. "…oh wait. All the crappy cartoons are on in the morning. Maybe school should start at one… no, two… Oh! Or we could just like… not have school it all."

The younger rolled his eyes. "You're not making any sense this morning."

"Hey, I went to bed at like, midnight; gimme a break."

He _definitely _didn't. Henrik remembered being awake at midnight reading an issue of Spiderman and seeing Jack's light off, the idiot. Despite his doubt, the younger boy didn't feel like arguing this early in the morning, so he settled on a shrug. "Yeah, whatever you say, Jack."

Jack let out a long sigh, rolling his head back so it rested against the seat. With shut eyes, he rolled his head a bit as if he were trying to look Henrik in the eyes. "Soooo… what's the Hiccup been up to lately?" he grinned slyly and opened one eye, elbowing the boy in the arm. "Any hot dates with your _girlfriend?_"

Henrik's cheeks were _not _turning red, no sir. It was the _totally _just the cold. "Shut up. Dude, Astrid's not even my girlfriend," he swatted his friend in the arm. "And what are _you _asking for anyways? We've been hanging out like, all break you _dork._"

Jack's expression blanked completely, as if he'd forgotten the eleven days they'd basically spent bugging each other.. "…oh right."

What an idiot.

"Well," he sighed with defeat. "I mean, you _are _gonna have to go see her in school today. Are you gonna _ask _her to be your girlfriend?"

The thought didn't even occur to him. He woke up this morning so groggy and annoyed that he didn't even consider actually having to _talk _to Astrid—and after the dance, no less. To be completely honest, he didn't even think he'd make it this far; Henrik has dealt with his own meddlesome shyness for years, and never in his wildest dreams did he actually think of overcoming it. With a gulp, the younger boy shrugged, fiddling with the end of his scarf nervously. "…I-I dunno. I uh… I honestly didn't think I'd even get to dance with her, so…"

Jack deadpanned. "Seriously?"

"Hey, I-I didn't know you were basically gonna push us into dancing!"

"Eh… fair enough," he shrugged, backing off. "But uh… are you… are you _gonna?_"

Henrik fumbled for a response – both for Jack, and for _himself. _Did he like Astrid? Yeah, a _lot _if that wasn't obvious enough. Did that mean he wanted to date her? Well, uh… he honestly didn't know. Half of his head argued that it'd be really nice to have a girlfriend, while the socially anxious half was _screaming _danger; what if he screwed up and she never talked to him again? Or what if he asked her out and she said no? What if it just made things _awkward _between them? There were _way _too many What If's to the entire scenario.

The younger brunet fumbled for a response. "I… have no idea."

Jack scoffed. "What's that even mean?"

"I-It means I don't know! I mean, like… I dunno, I've never had a girlfriend before and I don't wanna screw things up with Astrid cause she'sareallycoolgirland—"

"Slow down, slow down; you're talking _way_ too fast."

"Sorry, sorry…" Henrik sighed, taking a deep breath. He narrowed his eyes and glared at his friend. "Do _you _think I should?"

"Should what?"

"Ask Astrid out, _stupid."_

Jack froze in his place at the question. He had that clueless look on his face he usually got when their teachers caught him sleeping in class and asked him a question once he woke up; but oddly enough, there was something else to it—like when he got caught off guard and didn't know what to say. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, shaking his head. Eventually, he settled on a shrug. "I uh… w-well, that's up to _you._"

It seemed like he wasn't entirely sure of his answer, based on the way he inflected his voice. It was sort of confusing, but Henrik shrugged it off.

"…geez, you're_ so_ helpful."

The older boy snorted. "Hey, I've never dated anyone before either; what're you askin'_ me_ for?"

Well, he certainly had a point there.

"Sorry, I guess I figured my _all-knowing _wingman knew what to do."

Jack scoffed. "Hey, _you're welcome_ by the way. Totally hooked you and Astrid up but uh, ya' know. No big deal or anything."

Henrik rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, yeah… thanks or whatever."

The older brunet stuck out his tongue playfully. "You got this. Ya' just gotta woo her with some of that Hiccup charm."

The younger snorted. "If by charm you mean falling on my face every _two _seconds, I hardly think it's gonna help."

"Hey, who knows? _Some _people find the klutzy thing cute," Jack shrugged, nudging his elbow with a grin.

There was something about the smile that didn't seem quite right, something subtle in the twitch of his lips as it faded into his usual blank expression. It was weird, really—like Jack meant something else but Henrik wasn't entirely sure _what. _His shoulders slumped a bit as the conversation died, letting the older brunet's back slide down the seat until his back was close to the seat while his knees brushed the seat in front of them. Oddly enough, he looked pretty deep in thought (it wasn't exactly a common expression he made; Henrik would know it _anywhere_, trust me); his eyes were hooded a bit and his teeth closed over his lower lip. Pale fingers toyed with the hem of his hoodie while the ends of his shoes tapped against the seat.

Henrik had half a mind to say he looked upset, but he wasn't entirely sure why.

* * *

Language Arts had never been so interesting for Jack.

And before you stare at the screen in wonder, _no _he wasn't interested in what they were reading (not in the slightest, to be perfectly honest). He had his textbook leisurely placed just under his chin in preparation for the teacher's sleep-inducing lecture, when she walked in the door and called for everyone to take their seats. Before he could rest his cheek against the makeshift, paper-filled pillow, Jack turned his attention to the kid trailing behind the teacher closely. Yeesh, he was so _thin _but tall; kind of like a walking beanstalk or something, and Jack could hardly tell if his hair was _really _blond or intentionally dyed white. It wasn't too long, but it curled in the _weirdest _places on the top of his head, almost into spikes. His shirt was black with little white light bulb in the center (just over his heart, from what Jack could tell), and fell to the middle of his belt-loops loosely.

The teacher waved her hands a bit. "Everyone settle down for a moment!"

About half of the class immediately shut up when they noticed the kid standing beside her.

"We have a late-transfer student coming into our class," she smiled thinly, gesturing to the strange-looking boy. "Say hello to Leon Knightly."

Knightly... Knightly… _why _did that last name ring a bell? Jack couldn't quite place it, but he shook off the thought when the entire class unenthusiastically greeted "Hi Leon".

He didn't say anything in response though. Leon just grinned crookedly and waved, dropping his hand to his side without a sound.

"Is there anything you'd like to tell the class about yourself?"

Leon shook his head, hair flopping a bit.

Jack narrowed his eyes. No way, was this kid _mute _like Sandy was or something?

"…alright then. Take your seat on the left then."

He nodded, lazily making his way to an open seat in one of the far-left rows. Jack followed him with his eyes and watched him carefully. A few of the boys around him whispered to him, asking him questions that he either nodded or shook his head to. He caught him shrugging somewhere in there, but not a word came out of his mouth; he took out a light-up pen from his pencil pouch and opened a blank notebook to jot down notes as the teacher went on and _on _about expository writing.

Jack didn't end up sleeping through L.A like he thought he would. When the bell finally rang, he caught up with Leon in the hallway and tapped him on the shoulder. The blond turned around, eyes curiously wide and expression blank. He nodded at Jack, but – again – not a word came out of his mouth. "You're uh… Leon, right?"

A nod.

"Cool. I'm Jack."

A smile.

"...you're kinda quiet."

_Another _nod.

"…you mute or somethin'?"

He shook his head.

"Huh? Then say somethin'!"

Leon shrugged as if to say he didn't know what to say. Jack frowned.

"No offense, but why don't you talk? Are you shy?"

Another shrug.

"What, nothing good to say? If you want me to shut up, you could just say 'Jack shut up'."

Leon sniggered.

"_AHA! YOU LAUGHED!" _Jack raised his chin triumphantly and crossed his arms over his chest. "Well you're gonna have to say somethin' sooner or later."

The blond raised an eyebrow, as if to say he doubted it. The brunet pouted.

"I'm _really_ serious."

Leon shook his head, a smile on his face.

"Hey, don't give me that look! I'm a pretty funny guy; I'll have you in stitches _pre~tty _quick."

He rolled his eyes, and Jack huffed. It was hardly endearing, and _annoyingly _challenging.

"I'm _gonna _get you to talk. I swear it."

* * *

**January 10****th**

**Thursday**

* * *

Henrik dreaded seeing Astrid in Lunch that afternoon.

Oh don't get me wrong; he was always happy to talk to her, and she was really cool and everything. She hadn't done anything to earn his spite or disapproval; honestly, Henrik was more anxious to see her and find the courage to ask about what happened at the dance. He'd been trying for the past week to no avail; every one of his efforts ended with him chickening out before he could even say a word. Sooner or later, he was going to have to fess up and admit that he liked her, and possibly-maybe-he-wasn't-really-sure-yet ask her on a date. He was completely aware of that, but that didn't make the anxiety of having to actually _talk _about his feelings ease—not even a _little. _If anything, it was that fact that made every class speed by quicker until he was wobbling down the school hallway to get to the cafeteria. Oh gods, what was he even supposed to _say _to her? "Hey Astrid, how are you I kind of have feelings for you, wanna go on a date"? There was _no _way he'd have the courage for something like that, and the _one _moment he _needed _to remember a line he'd heard on TV he absolutely could _not _think straight.

But that's just Henrik's luck for you. It's like that horrid anxiety he gets when he _doesn't _study and has a quiz, but this time with a new Astrid-involved twist.

He made sure to take his time at his locker that afternoon, even going so far to procrastinate by rearranging his books. Unfortunately for him, one of the teachers caught onto his charade and shoved him off to the lunchroom; dragging his feet with each step, Henrik took his time getting their and hesitantly spun the corner to head inside. Sure enough, there was Astrid—in her usual spot by the window in all her glory. Her attention was turned to a few of her friends at the table laughing at something, until ambitious blue eyes skimmed over and noticed Henrik's nervous form in the doorway. She smiled and waved at him, gesturing for him to come over. Initially, Henrik felt himself smile back at the gesture, his thoughts eased; until her friends peeked over at him with giddy smiles and expressions so full of intention and secrets it made his stomach turn.

Were girls _supposed _to be that intimidating? Gosh, all her friends did was look at him and he already felt like crap.

Striding to the table with a nervous, wavering smile, Henrik sat himself down beside the blonde and bowed his head. The second he looked up at her, he could pretty much _feel _her friends glaring at him. "Ah… h-hey Astrid."

She brushed her bangs out of her eyes and smiled thinly. "Hey… Henrik."

"W-what's up?"

Astrid shrugged. "Not much, I guess."

...well, that was as far as _his _ability to converse was going to let him go. Opening and closing his mouth a few times, the freckled brunet rubbed at the back of his neck sheepishly. Oh great. What the heck was he even supposed to _say?_

Before he could get a word out, one of her friends chimed in, "Gosh Astrid, your boyfriend _sure _is quiet."

It's funny how a two-syllabled word could make his heart pretty much implode on itself. Stuttering like an idiot, he fumbled for a rebuttal. "I-I uh… sh-she's not uhh—"

"H-he's not my boyfriend," Astrid sighed, lowering her head with what _seemed _like embarrassment. Blonde strands of hair swept in front of her eye, preventing Henrik from seeing it. The two of them were unusually quiet for the remainder of lunch, glancing at each other and occasionally cracking jokes at the other kids' comments. Sometimes their shoulders brushed and the freckled brunet shied away or bowed his head apologetically without saying a word. Now don't get me wrong; talking to her was _never _this hard. Generally speaking they could go on about nothing and still have a blast; but given the unusual circumstance, it felt like anything Henrik even _considered _saying would just make matters worse or so unbearably awkward it wouldn't be worth it.

Recess rolled around after a full 25 minutes of stumbling conversation. Every kid in the room filed out of the cafeteria and excitedly hurried on to the black top just outside. It felt like Astrid's friends were purposely running ahead of them, leaving the two preteens to stammer and avoid each other's line of sight. Despite the uncomfortable atmosphere, Henrik stumbled for something to talk about, even when his subjects turned to random objects he spotted or someone doing something stupid on the way outside. When they finally made their way to the black top, Astrid's friends rushed over to the four square court, leaving the two of them to sit by the fences. If he wasn't sure they were running away on purpose before, he was _definitely _sure now.

_Man_ was the quiet bothering him, though; talking to Astrid was _never _this awkward, and he oddly disliked the inexplicably heavy atmosphere. It was like both of them wanted to say something, but neither of them wanted to say it—and _jeez _it was starting to get on his nerves. Taking a deep breath, Henrik mentally declared that he had to say _something _just to break the silence.

"S-so uh…" the flustered boy stammered, glancing at nothing in particular to avoid meeting Astrid's curious glance. "I-I know we've been like… trying not to talk about it but uh—"

He peeked over at her, but found his breath catching at the curious glint in her eyes. Oh _man _that was a bad idea. His thoughts completely blanked for a minute. "The dance and… I-I uh… are we… a _thing_… or…?"

She brushed her bangs out of her narrowing eyes. "…huh?"

"I-I mean… I-I like you, and uh…"

Henrik's voice trailed when Astrid looked over at him with a smile. "…wait," She raised an eyebrow, scooting a little closer. "Henrik, are you… trying to ask me out?"

"…I-I have no idea to be honest."

She laughed, elbowing him in the arm playfully. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I-I don't know!" he shrugged with a huff. Running a hand through his bangs, he groaned. "Just… agh… I have no idea what I'm doing."

"Dork," she mumbled, nudging him in the shoulder when his face fell at the comment. "If it makes you feel any better, I could ask _you _out."

"I-I… you…" he stammered for a response, chuckling nervously. "What?"

Scooting closer, the blonde cleared her throat and bowed her head. "Well… I think you're really interesting."

Being called "interesting" _really _shouldn't have made him as happy as it did. Any normal person would take that weirdly or make some clever quip about not being a book, but to Henrik the comment just made his chest tighten.

"And uh…" she stuttered, lowering her eyes sheepishly. Something about how nervous she seemed oddly made Henrik feel better, as if he wasn't alone when it came to inexperience. "We should hang out sometime."

He stared at her blankly. The inexpression on his face seemed to alarm her, judging by the way she shifted in her spot and shrugged.

"…I mean, _together. _Or, well, if you want to any—"

"Y-Yes! Yeah, I mean uh…" Smooth. Oh how _smooth. _Trying to cough off his embarrassingly eager response, he shrugged with a forced nonchalance and nodded his head. "Th-that… sounds nice."

Astrid nodded with a nervous chuckle. "Err… Awesome."

"Y-yeah, great."

Silence settled between them, leaving Henrik to sit there with his heart hammering against his chest and his knees shaking. Oh _gods _this was awkward. How the _heck _do people on TV power through stuff like this? After what felt like an _eternity _of sitting quietly beside her, one of the teachers blew their whistle to call everyone inside. The two of them leapt onto their feet as fast as they could manage, throwing each other shy smiles before hurrying back into the building. Stumbling to his locker for his books, Henrik found himself grinning all the way to the Math room. He got to his seat and plopped down his books, letting his forehead smack into the desk while he took a moment to just _breathe. _

Strangely enough, the first thought to pop into his head was how excited he was to tell Jack about it.

* * *

"_Someone's _awfully smiley today."

Jack sniggered at his friend's dazed expression, smacking him in the arm to gain his attention. Hiccup had been like this sense they'd gotten back home, with a dopey smile on his face and a constant habit of zoning out. They'd been working on their homework for a solid twenty minutes and it seemed like the younger boy hadn't paid attention for about half of it; actually, it was kind of funny to see him so out of it. And considering they were doing _history _homework, this was certainly a surprise.

Nudging the boy in the arm with his elbow, Jack snorted. "…_hello?" _he leaned in closer and yelled into his ear,"Earth to Hiccup!"

He blinked a few times, jerking back. "Huh?"

"Are you completely brain-dead or something?" the older boy sighed, dinking him in the forehead with his palm. "I've been tryin' to talk to you for like, an hour."

"Er… sorry. I kinda blanked out."

Jack sighed. "No kidding. Heh. I thought you were gonna start _drooling _or something."

He rolled his eyes and the older boy felt a smile tug at his lips.

"Somethin' on your mind?"

And there it was again, that dorky little smile of his. The older boy took a moment to take it in, darting his eyes around the room and taking subtle glances at his friend. Or… crush. _Whatever._ The label didn't really matter right now as his eyes gradually lingered on the wimpy curve in Hiccup's lips and the way his cheeks were the _weirdest _shade of red. North had always taught him it was rude to stare at people, but there was something in Hiccup's expression that Jack couldn't take his eyes off of—whatever it was, it made his pulse quick and his stomach feel fluttery.

"I uh… asked Astrid out today."

Well, _that _snapped him out of his daze. It was the older brunet's turn to gape at him blankly. "Wait, _what?_"

"We talked at recess and stuff and I guess we're… gonna go out or somethin'."

"Wait, wait, so you two are… _actually _going out?"

"Yeah. I… _think?_" He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "That uh… that part wasn't too clear."

Okay seriously; the squirt needed to back up a few steps. Jack was still trying to wrap his head around Hiccup _actually _having the guts to ask her. "Wow," he chuckled, finding it increasingly hard to do so. The fluttering in his stomach clotted from the cascade of butterflies to a hefty stack of lead weights. "That's… that's awesome, Hic!"

His smile widened. "I've never had a girlfriend before. This is so _weird_."

"Pft. _You're _weird."

Hiccup smacked his arm and Jack sniggered, knocking his good knee with his foot. The younger boy looked over at him, eyes unusually bright and wide. He laughed softly, elbowing his friend in the arm. "What's with the face?"

Jack blinked, staring at the boy blankly. "What do you mean?"

"You're staring at me kinda funny."

"…I _am?_"

"Yeah," Hiccup retorted, waving his hand in front of his face. "You seem really out of it."

Honestly, he was still processing the nausea settling in his stomach. Something about the entire conversation made his limbs slump and his smile fall; he had half a mind to chalk it all up to jealousy, but the notion only irritated him further, sending an almost electric jolt of frustration zapping around in his skull.

Jack sighed, shaking off his thoughts with a thin, forced smile. "Nah. I just… got a bad stomach ache."

* * *

**Author's Note: **So yes Hicstrid is a thing _for now _but it helps things later, I promise. I feel like the middle school chapters are taking me longer to write; (recalling the awkward phase is nearly painful haha) I just _barely _hit my own mental deadline on this one. Thank you for the reviews and follows~ See you next update!

**Character Explanation: **Leon is a character named **Nightlight **from the G.o.C books, who is basically the guardian/body-guard of the Man in the Moon. He protected MiM from Pitch when he was a baby, and he's actually pretty cool. He's a favorite of mine, and while I'd _love _to sit here and rant about him, I'd rather not spoil things from the book. So~ if you're so inclined, look him up. I'm looking at future chapters, and he'll probably be there for quite a few, as no one major but ya' know; there in general. Honestly I didn't originally have him as a part of things, but he's a last-minute addition since I scrapped an entire arc.


	26. She's a Handsome Woman

**Author's Note: **Ahhh gosh I'm sorry for the longer wait on this update! I've been _extremely _iffy about this one, so… I actually might end up swooping back in here and adding/changing stuff later? Not sure yet. So… here comes the honey and the hatchet, guys. The honey is that I have a solid outline for middle school ready to go, and we'll most likely hit high school in 5 or 6 chapters. The hatchet is that updates are giving me some trouble (a bit of writer's block and my schedule is gonna get crowded soon) so the space between them might increase more than my usual weekly (or 7/8 days I should say, since I've been getting bad with these lately). I'm sorry! We'll be moving along easier now that I have some plans, though. I swear I'm done with filler chapters for a while; consider this "the talk" (x2) chapter (smushed two chapters into one to avoid fillers).

**Basic Overview: **Hiccup has his first date with Astrid coming up, but not before his father gives him a few pointers.

**Point of View: **3rd person: (Mostly) Hiccup/Jack alteration

**Warnings: **Hicstrid

**Age Reminder: **Jack is 13 (7th grade); Hiccup is 11 (7th grade); Emma is 11 (5h grade)

* * *

**Chapter 26: **She's a Handsome Woman

**January 25****th**

**Friday**

* * *

27 was the only number Henrik's mind could process after hours of repeating it excitedly to himself.

Could you blame him though? Months of warm butterflies and awkward stuttering had _finally _led to his date with Astrid—and in two days, no less! Oh man, Henrik was on cloud nine and he was not coming down. Even tripping on his way to the art room, forgetting his gym clothes for P.E, forgetting how to divide fractions in Math, and _badly _screwing up his Language Arts presentation couldn't wipe the triumphant smile off his face. Sure they were annoying to deal with at the moment they occurred, but the trouble hardly mattered. He had a skip in his step all day.

There was only one thing really bother him though (aside from the school's mystery meat he _almost _had at lunch; he could have sworn it blinked at him a few times), and that was Jack.

His usual, vibrant attitude—that brought smiles and fun no matter the circumstances—had dulled to forced, monotonous smirks and darting blue irises that locked on _everything _but Henrik. When they talked, it seemed as if every word he said went in one ear and came out the other; regrettably he was gaining a horrid tendency to zone out mid-conversation. Yet when he passed by his friend talking to anyone else in the hallway he was perfectly attentive. His laughter came naturally and the curves of his lips formed without hesitation or thought. It bothered Henrik to no end, really, but he had to continuously remind himself that it was _Jack_—if he had a problem, he'd say something sooner or later. That's just how he is.

It was growing increasingly hard to ignore his sudden distance, however; their usual study sessions after school were getting shorter (and strangely more productive, as if Jack were _trying _to blow through them quickly), and that troublesome look he gave Henrik when he wasn't paying attention felt like ice tingling against his skin. He caught it out of the corner of his eye _far _too often, a glance or two thrown his way indiscreetly from across the room; he could recognize the unusual chill of his friend's gaze grazing his cheek from anywhere. The weird thing is, he looked as if he were lost in thought, with a blank expression that conveyed confusion; it reminded Henrik of when he got stuck on a math problem and wasn't sure how to go about finding the answer.

At first, he wasn't really sure what to think of it. He thought Jack was just spacing out but happened to be looking in his general direction. It seemed valid, since he had the usual dazed droop to his eyes that expressed drowsiness. What tipped him off, though, was how quick he was to look away when he looked returned his gaze; there was a curious guilt to the lowering of his eyes, like the time North caught him breaking a plate (for some circus or juggling thing he saw on TV), or when the two of them tried to play outside when it was too dark out.

But… whatever, right? Jack knows he can tell Henrik anything, so it shouldn't bother him as much as it did.

* * *

"…you're doing it again."

Jack blinked repeatedly, wagging his head back and forth as if to shake off his thoughts. "Doing what?"

Henrik sighed, lightly dinking the older boy on the forehead with his palm. "You keep zoning out on me."

"Er… sorry."

"You wanna take a break or something?"

The older brunet immediately slammed his math book shut and all but yelled, "_Please_."

Shuffling their textbooks to the side, the boys leaned back on the couch with a comfortable sigh. Henrik let his limbs go lax, shoulder slumping into the cushions. He peeked over at his and noted the vague expression on Jack's face. Blue irises just barely shifted upward, twitching rhythmically as if he were following the swirls of paint on the ceiling. Something about the lack of sentiment on his face struck Henrik as serene, oddly enough, a pleasant but welcome change after a week of cold, empty glances. It was as if his mind was completely free to stray thought, only active in processing his surroundings. It was perplexing how many things such a vacant stare could say.

"So…" Henrik began, not entirely sure _what _to say now that he'd broken the silence. He fidgeted with his fingers. "What's up?"

Jack shrugged lazily. "Tryin' to get all this math crap out of my head… Hey, is it normal to see fraction bars everywhere?"

The younger snorted. "N~ope. Just you."

"Aw _great…_" he furrowed his eyebrows and threw up his hands wildly. "When the _heck _am I even gonna need this?!"

"What if you get mugged and someone asks you a math problem?"

The older waved his hand dismissively. "Pfft. Like _that'll _ever happen. Besides, I'd kick his sorry butt before he could get a word out."

He rolled his eyes.

"Man, school's a real drag this year…"

The younger boy affirmed with a nod. "I guess. They're really slamming us with homework lately… But ya' know, it could be worse."

"Are you _kidding _me? What's worse than 20 math problems a night!?"

"_50 _math problems, maybe?"

"Auugghhhh don't _say _that!" Jack groaned, rolling his head back dramatically. "I'm getting a headache just _thinking _about it!"

"You're such a drama queen."

"What, and _you_ like doin' all this fraction crap?"

Henrik fumbled for a comeback, but nothing came to mind.

"Didn't think so," his friend sneered, crossing his arms with a triumphant grin. Despite how _annoying _that smug ring in his voice was, Henrik was honestly just glad to see him acting like his usual self.

Jack took a deep breath and let his head rest on the couch cushion more. Rolling it to the side, he grinned thinly at his friend. "_So,_" a knee nudged against his. "You figure out what you guys are doing for your _date _on Sunday?"

Henrik gaped at him. He _definitely _hadn't said anything about the date yet.

"…how on _earth _do you do the psychic thing."

The older boy sniggered. "Oh come on, you're _way _too easy to read. You've been smiling like an idiot all day!"

Henrik rubbed at the back of his neck sheepishly, his fingers fiddling with a particularly bad knot at the base of his neck. "Well… I figured we'd see a movie and… maybe get ice cream afterwards. Nothin' too big."

"Oh gosh," Jack snorted. "That's such a TV date."

"Hey, I'm 12, not 20," he retorted with an elbow to his friend's side. "If I could do something actually cool with her you know I would."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah I know. It's just that like… _everybody_ does movie dates. Seems kinda cliché."

He shot him a glare and Jack threw his hands in the air.

"I'm just sayin'."

"Well stop; you're messing me up in the head, okay?" Henrik sighed and slumped his shoulders forward. "Ugh… I kinda just want it to be Sunday already so it'll be over with…"

"What'll be over?" A familiar voice boomed from across the room.

The boys turned their heads to the staircase to find Sven standing on the bottom step with his arms crossed. Jack threw Henrik a quick glance and shrugged. "Hiccup's date with Astrid."

His father blinked, turning to face the boy with an eyebrow raised. "Date?"

Oh. Right. He was supposed to tell his Dad about that, wasn't he?

Their eyes locked for a moment, a thick and awkward silence settling in the room. Henrik could already hear his father's stern voice lecturing him in his head; the confusion settling on his face _demanded _an explanation to Jack's little comment. He couldn't quite determine if the man was angry with him, though. His eyebrows were _definitely _furrowed in displeasure, but the look in his eyes hardly matched the irritation in them when Henrik dropped something or broke something by accident. Whatever it was, it made the boy feel unusually guilty—and he didn't _think _he'd done anything wrong.

Beside him, Jack stiffened. He cleared his throat and hopped onto his feet, quickly piling his books into his backpack. Throwing his arm through the strap, he shrugged. "Welp, I uh… I should probably go and check up on Emma so…" he threw Henrik a side glance. "I'll see you tomorrow, I guess?"

"Yeah," Henrik nodded, bowing his head. "See you tomorrow."

Jack threw them a lazy two-fingered salute and bolted out the front door in what looked like a flash of blue and brown. The now lone brunet sighed, turning to his father with a wavering, sheepish smile.

"So uh…" he rubbed at the back of his neck. "…what's up?"

* * *

Dinner was… well, _awkward _to say the least.

It seemed that—as usual—neither Sven nor Henrik knew what to say to the other, which allowed a _marvelous _silence to settle between them. Henrik poked and prodded at his mashed potatoes quietly, keeping his eyes lowered solemnly to the indents his fork left. When he looked up, his father looked down or took another bite out of his food, as if he were desperate for an excuse not to say anything. Oh _gods _this was awkward; any small talk the boy _actually _managed to get going died down as quickly as it began, leaving him to fumble for _something _to say. After a few more bites of his dinner, he dropped his fork and sighed, brushing his bangs out of his eyes. "Listen, Dad," he began. "Er… about the date—"

Sven held up a hand to stop him. "It's alright, son."

"Wait… It is?"

"Yes, actually," his father sighed, standing to carefully place his dish in the sink. "It's uh… it's good. Gives us a reason to have a… discussion."

"…discussion?"

Sven gave him a nod, clearing his throat with lowered eyes. Henrik searched his face for some sort of meaning to that, and froze for a moment when everything clicked in his head.

Oh. _That _kind of discussion. Well, there went the boy's appetite…

"I'm… pretty sure I _don't _need to have this conversation with you."

"Sure you do."

"…okay let me rephrase that: I'm really, extra, _super_ sure I don't _want _to have this conversation."

Sven sat down across from him and folded his hands on the table. Something about the contemplating, 'let's get down to business' look on his face told Henrik they were probably going to end up talking anyways. Great. _Just _great. With a heavy sigh, his father rubbed at his temples as if to jog his memory. "Where do I even begin…"

Nowhere would have been fantastic, really. Placing his dinner plate on the counter, the boy slumped in his seat and rested his cheek in one hand.

"Well, son, you're… at _that _age and I think you're old enough for us to talk about women."

The worst hadn't even come and Henrik was already embarrassed. It was gonna be a _long _night, wasn't it?

Sven took a deep breath. "Relationships are uh… complicated. They… take a lot of time and effort. When you care for someone a lot, you need to get to know them before anything else. You know, get comfortable with their personality, know what they expect, and all that. And uh… (what else…) you have to respect their opinions and decisions; if a girl says no to anything, the answer is _no._ Pressuring someone to change their mind is uh… it's wrong."

Henrik could already feel his cheeks lighting on fire. Judging by the hasty almost bullet-like comments, it seemed like his father wasn't entirely sure what he wanted to say. "Dad you _really _don't have to. I uh… I'm not _that _stupid, I promise."

"I know, I know. You're a good boy, Henrik." He sighed, letting his face fall into his hand. "Oh, gods… Your mother would know what to say."

The boy's face fell at the comment. The sad part was that he wasn't wrong; when Henrik went to talk to his mother it seemed like she always knew just what to say or do to make him feel better. Despite all of that, it definitely meant a lot that his father was at least _trying _to talk to him. He'd gotten so used to eating dinner to small talk or silence that actually conversing with him was… well, certainly not unwelcome (ya' know… despite how awkward and one-sided the "discussion" turned out).

Sven chuckled to himself, eyes lowered. "She really was something else."

This was probably another part of the conversation Henrik _really _didn't want to partake in.

"Uh… yeah. Mom was great."

"I met her back in college, you know. My roommates were throwing a kegger and it got crazy."

"…ya' know, I remember Mom telling this _completely _different."

"I think at least _three _other dorms ended up showing without an invite. It was wild."

"Can you even _hear _me?"

"Ah Val was a wallflower…"

"_Helllooooo?_"

"But I looked at her and _knew _she was the one for me."

"…this conversation's starting to feel a little one-sided."

"You know, I fell flat on my face trying to talk to her," he laughed. "Gods, I could hardly get a word out. I'm amazed she could understand a word I was saying."

Well, it was at _least _comforting to know Henrik got his clumsiness from his father_._

"But your mother… she was kind. Quiet, sure, but, she was a sweet, really. And to think she fell for a man like me—"

"_Dad."_ The boy interjected, mentally sighing with relief when he finally gained Sven's attention. "No offense or anything, but uh… is there a point to this story?"

"Listen to me, rambling on…" He stood with a loud roar of laughter and sauntered over, patting the boy on the back. "Sorry, son."

"Eh… it's alright," Henrik shrugged, lowering his eyes to the table. "You uh… you might want to get your ears checked, though. I think you're going selectively-deaf."

Sven scoffed, ruffling his hair into a tangled mess of auburn. "_Henrik._"

He bowed his head and murmured under his breath, "I'm just saying."

"Odin help me, you've got your mother's mouth."

The two of them _clearly _remembered Val differently. Then again, Henrik hadn't known his mother quite as long as Sven had, so he'd have to take his word on that note.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is…" he thought for a moment, as if he _really _didn't even know what he wanted to say. "Don't do anything stupid, alright? Sooner or later you'll know if this… this girl of yours is the right one, but if you force things to happen it will never work."

He couldn't have just _said _that and saved the two of them twenty minutes of awkward?!

"Uh… right. Got it." Henrik nodded, letting his shoulders slump.

"…alright."

"…yeah."

"G-good talk, son," his father stuttered awkwardly, patting him on the shoulder before sauntering out of the kitchen. With a few creaks of the floorboards that retarded, Sven was gone (presumably upstairs, judging by the heavy footsteps panging through the ceiling), leaving Henrik alone with his thoughts. The awkward warmth in his cheeks was starting to subside, the lingering discomfort in his limbs finally easing now that the conversation had ended. Don't get me wrong; he didn't mind hearing stories about his mother or anything like that. It's just… ugh, the way Sven had told it made him feel strangely uncomfortable. But… he supposed there was something to gain from the conversation (despite the ungodly amounts of embarrassment).

He let his forehead collide with the table top and sighed to himself. The _one _time his father _actually _decided to talk to him hadto be that conversation...

* * *

**January 27****th**

**Sunday**

* * *

Henrik wasn't a boy who cared about his looks, but tonight it was all he could think of.

On any other day of the week, he woke up, ran a comb through his hair (providing he was awake enough, that is; he slept stilly so what's the point anyways), and threw on the first thing he could get his hands on. He never bothered with doing his hair a certain way, or checked if his clothes matched; honestly, he couldn't care less about how he looked. As long as he was comfortable, it didn't mean a thing if his shirt had polka dots or his jeans had torn at the knee. Besides, they're just clothes. Who cares if his socks didn't match; he only had one anyways, and it wasn't like he wanted to impress anyone.

Tonight, of course, became the exception to that. For once the awkward part of his hair stuck out and his usual t-shirt and jeans combo looked sloppy and unusually loose at the sleeves. He must have tugged on three different shirts before settling on his favorite green sweater (which, after months of rolling up the sleeves _finally _fit him). Following his clothing-quarrel came the usual observations his reflection _always _pointed out to him; the pudgy nose, the speckled, round cheeks, the gap between his front teeth, a few pimples he opted to hide behind his bangs… see, there's a reason he doesn't like to dote on his appearance—and it was all the little things seeing his reflection brought out.

With an uneasy sigh, Henrik sat on the edge of his bed, tugging his sleeves down so he could curl his fingers into them. The plush, woven strands tickled his fingertips and soothed his shaking palms. Gods, Astrid hadn't even shown up, yet he was a nervous; his pulse rose with every minute click on the clock, and butterflies fluttered in his tummy. He let his back hit the mattress and sighed comfortably, eyes fixated on the ceiling.

_Tap. Tap_

The familiar knock against the glass brought a smile to Henrik's face; the notion of his best friend's presence was unusually comforting at the moment. He hopped onto his feet and carefully tugged the curtains away from the glass. Sure enough, there was Jack; a grin on his face and barefoot as always (in the snow, no less) with a loose t-shirt and a pair of baggy sweatpants that were reasonably drenched around his ankles. His breathing was heavy, but Henrik had a feeling the boy was purposely exhaling through his mouth to see his breath. Flicking the lock until it clicked out of place, he opened the window and stepped back to let his friend slide through. Jack nearly fell on his face trying to squeeze inside, but landed on the balls of his pale, bare feet.

The older boy sighed dramatically, rubbing at his arms frantically. "Hiccupppp~ Your house is so waaaarm~"

"You wouldn't be so cold it you'd just put on shoes, ya' know. You're gonna freeze your feet off one of these days..." Henrik sniggered, poking his cheek. He jolted back when the chill on Jack's skin zapped his finger tip. "Jeez, you're like ice!"

"Yeah?" He brought a chilly hand to his friend's cheek and Henrik whined at his cooler touch. "Hey Hic, are my hands cold~?"

"Aaaahhhh stop!" The younger swatted his hand back with a snort. "Doof… What are you doing over here anyways?"

"Figured I'd pop in and say hey before your big date."

Henrik felt his cheeks flush for no reason in particular. Jack snorted.

"Aw. You're changing colors."

"Eh, shut up," he knocked his shoulder, earning an amused chuckle from the boy.

"Nervous, huh?"

"What, are you kidding?" he faux-boasted, crossing his arms as proudly as he could. Jack raised an eyebrow in response and pursed his lips. The younger let his arms fall limply, sighing with defeat. "…Really nervous, actually."

"Well quit it," he sighed. "You're over thinking; I'm sure you'll be fine."

"I-I dunno, I'm worried I'm gonna screw up or trip or something."

"If you trip it's not the _end_ of the world, ya' know. You fall on your face like, all the time and Astrid's never said anything, has she?"

"…no, but—"

Jack shushed him, holding up a finger to his lips. "But _nothing_."

Henrik swatted his finger away and pouted. Did Jack even know what he was saying? How could he _not _be nervous?

A hand landed on his shoulder following a heavy sigh. Looking up, Henrik noted the vaguely calmer look about his friend's face. Jack smiled crookedly. "Hey, don't sweat it so much. Just… Be yourself. I-I mean, I don't know much about girls or Astrid or anyone else but… uh, _I _like you. T-the way you are, I mean. If that's worth anything."

Henrik felt himself smiling. The weirdest tickle grazed the bottom of his stomach, as if the butterflies had landed but a lone Monarch dared to flutter its wings. He wasn't quite sure what to label it, but something about Jack's words and the sentiments they brought… really pleased him. They made him warm and unusually happy for no real reason.

"And she'll totally think you're cool too, if you just be yourself. Don't try to be someone you're not or it'll just hurt you in the end." His hand reeled back to give him a playful smack in the arm. Henrik yelped. "Besides, you could totally woo her with some of that Hiccup charm."

He rubbed at the blow, smiling to himself with lowered eyes. "…Ya' know, I _still_ have no idea what that even means."

Jack sniggered. "'s probably cause you just don't know how to channel it yet."

"Channel it?" The younger narrowed his eyes incredulously. "What do you think I am, some kind of mage or something?"

"Heh. A real sucky one. Not even _close_ to as great a mage as I am."

"What? Gods, Jack you're so freakin' weird."

"_You're_ weird."

They shoved at each other, punching arms and nudging shoulders playfully. Sometimes Jack pushed him back too hard and he stumbled, but he always dove forward to help Henrik regain his balance again, asking him if he was okay and mumbling an apology under his breath. They didn't particularly do much after, but what they were doing hardly mattered. Henrik simply found being with Jack… comfortable; like there was nothing to worry about.

Sure, there were quiet moments that sat between them like a thick, brick wall, where the younger boy caught his friend staring off into space or looking at him from the corners of his eyes; on occasion, he opened his mouth to say something but (assumedly) decided against it. Those glances hadn't bothered him quite as much, strangely enough; Henrik found it funny to see his friend fluster and fumble for something to say when he realized he'd been caught.

And until the brief silence in their conversation died, he was left to wonder just what it was Jack was so against telling him.

* * *

Jack left when the faint slam of a car door echoed outside.

He patted his friend's head and wormed his way outside, hopping across the snow-covered rooftops with a few muffled cries (presumably his feet against the snow, the idiot). Henrik's heart skipped a beat when the doorbell rang, while Toothless popped his head up and growled. He took off the _second _the boy got up from his bed to pull on a pair of shoes. Of course, as he made his way downstairs he glanced at the door and sure enough, there was Toothless—barking at the door and hopping up to scratch it. Henrik sighed and hurried over, plucking him off the ground. He took a moment to breathe and gave Toothless a scratch under his chin. "Oh shush," he murmured. "It's just Astrid."

The little warrior growled even louder. Henrik sighed. He shifted him into his other arm and pulled open the front door carefully. Just behind it was Astrid, her hair back in its usual braid and the bangs hanging over a brown-studded headband. Thankfully, it didn't seem she was too dressed up either (in a loose Wonder Woman t-shirt and a pair of blue jeans).

"Hey Henrik," she greeted with a sheepish wave and a crooked smile. Her eyes turned to Toothless, her smile filling more. "Aw I didn't know you had a dog!"

"Yeah," the freckled brunet smiled back, wiggling the dog into both of his arms and stepping closer to show her. "Astrid, this is my buddy Toothless. Toothless, Astrid."

The blonde went to pet the top of his head, prompting Toothless to growl. She slowly pulled back her hand and brought it back for him to sniff. "He seems feisty."

"Yeah, he definitely keeps me bus—ow! Hey!" he jumped at the sudden scrape of nails against his skin, noting how wily the little warrior had gotten. "Alright, alright… Down you go." He wriggled in his hold until finally, Henrik bent over to let him run around in the living room, yipping away at the alleged intruder. He sighed, turning to his date with a lop-sided grin. "Don't take it personally; he's just kinda… protective or something. You should see him when Jack's over. I'm pretty sure he'd bite his hand off if he could."

Astrid sniggered. "What'd he do to him?"

"Nothing. Well, nothing as far as _I_ know of. I think Toothless just hates him or something."

"Maybe," Astrid smiled, gesturing toward the running car parked in the driveway. "So… you ready to head out?"

"Yeah," Henrik gulped, turning around to shoot back, "_DAD! _Astrid's here, I'll be back around 9:30!"

A distant voice called back, "Have fun and behave yourself!"

The remark made him want to hide his face in his sweater, but Astrid laughed it off. He closed the front door carefully (giving Toothless a wave good-bye when the little warrior peeked at him through the crack) and the two of them made their way over to the car.

* * *

Jack quietly snuck down the stairs and swung the corner with his head hanging in shame.

For whatever reason, his brain decided to register Hiccup going on a date as something he should mourn that evening; the thought department clicked on in his head, ushering in a downpour of laments and observations the boy had hoped to overlook. The build-up was starting to eat at him inside, and now that Hiccup was off with Astrid the boy wasn't sure what to do with himself. He kept trying to take his mind off of things but the weird thoughts persisted. After mental quarreling, he finally settled on asking North about it since… well, let's face it; this nonsense was confusing as _heck, _and Jack was getting sick of dealing with it on his own.

When he finally reached his adoptive father's study, he took a deep breath and carefully slid open the door. "…hey, North? You're not uh…. You're not busy, are you?"

Jack stuffed his hands into his pockets and lowered his eyes to the floor sheepishly. This entire idea was probably stupid, but he didn't know what else to do; North knew everything (or as far as Jack was concerned he did), and he was never a man to judge him harshly or reprimand him for thinking aloud. Surely the old man had some wisdom to pass down, right? And he wouldn't… think Jack was weird or anything like that. He'd come to talk to him before about little things, but he never scorned or jeered. Even when he got in trouble at school or did something stupid he handled the situation calmly and explained to him why his actions were wrong. Besides, keeping this to himself was getting to be impossible; he had to tell someone, so why _not _North?

The old man swiveled in his chair to face the boy, a concerned but jolly smile evident on his face. "Never for my little ones," he chuckled, gesturing for Jack to come closer. "What troubles you, Jack?"

…Was there a way to say everything without sounding vague? Probably not, right?

"Well uh… There's something I wanted to ask you about."

North raised an eyebrow and shut off the monitor to his computer with a quiet _click_. "Did you get in trouble?"

"Surprisingly no."

He seemed really pleased with that answer, judging by the sigh of relief. "Alright then. What is problem?"

"I-I have this…" He swallowed, carefully considering how he wanted to go about wording himself. "_Friend_ who uh… likes this person."

North folded his arms. "A friend, huh?"

"…yeah."

He nodded thoughtfully. "Go on."

"So my _friend_ likes this person," he began cautiously. Why Jack had decided to be so vague, he wasn't sure, but something about telling North of his growing feelings toward Hiccup struck him as a _horrible_ idea. "And he seems pretty uh… messed up in the head about it. Like, he's really confused cause he's not sure how he feels about Hi—the… person, and he uh… he doesn't know what to do."

North nodded, chuckling to himself. "Jack, you do not need to be vague." He put a hand on the boy's shoulder and smiled widely. "You like girl and you are confused, yes?"

It was… definitely not the best assumption North could have stuck on him, but it'd save him the embarrassment of explaining his Hiccup-crisis, I suppose. Jack sighed. "Uh… Y-yeah."

"Do not be shy!" North roared with cheerful laughter and gave him a pat on the back (that nearly knocked him over, I might add). "It is good!"

The eagerness to talk North was expressing made the brunet cringe. Maybe he'd have better luck curing his Hiccups with a glass of water or by holding his breath for a long time. The old man gestured for him to sit down, so Jack pulled up a box and plopped himself on top of it. He folded his hands on his lap and nervously twiddled his thumbs.

"So," North started, getting himself comfortable in his seat. "Tell me about this girl."

Aw crap. Jack didn't think this one through too well.

"Uh…" He tried to imagine Hiccup as a girl but the thought ran thin and nearly made him laugh. "H-she's uh… kinda short. Real quiet, too."

North's smile broadened. "She is pretty, yes?"

Would he even consider Hiccup pretty? I… guess? It's kind of a weird question, like asking if a girl was handsome. He didn't normally associate the word with other guys. Of course, that wasn't saying Hiccup was bad looking (honestly he found him adorable) but he wasn't entirely sure if pretty was the word he'd use to describe his clumsy next door neighbor.

"…er… sure?" Jack bowed his head and tried to fight back the red he was _sure_ had overtaken his cheeks. "And she's a really close friend of mine, and liking hi-her's starting to screw with my head."

North stroked his beard thoughtfully (kind of like those evil dudes in the movies when they were scheming things, Jack thought) as if he were heavily contemplating what the boy had said. "How so?"

"Well… I dunno. It's getting really hard to talk to…_her_ since she likes someone else and eh… I feel kinda funny when _she_ looks at me. Like my stomach explodes and I can't think right or… Somethin' like that." The brunet sighed, letting his face fall into his hand. "And I wanna just talk to h-her normally and mess around the way we used to but it's getting hard to."

A hand ruffled his hair. "It sounds like you have it bad, Jack."

How comforting. "I… guess?"

"I tell you something good, then," he cleared his throat and shifted in his seat. "You see, love is a very complicated thing. Sometimes you find it in strange places or in people you don't want to love. And at your age, it is very… different. You are growing up, Jack and—"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! I'm gonna have to stop you right there. It's uh… it's good, North; I definitely remember all the 'growing up' junk from health class."

North laughed heartily. "Of course you do. But love is something different. You are at age when you are changing, and many times your heart must change with you. So, you have feelings for girl but you don't want them, yes?"

"Basically."

"The good news is that you are young, Jack. Feelings come and go like nothing as you grow! With time, your heart will tell you what to do with them; forget them and move by, or do something with them."

"Do… _what_ with them, exactly?"

North shrugged and tapped at his chest, right over his heart as if to say it would have the answer.

Jack huffed. "…this isn't part of that center thing you told me about, is it?"

"Not quite, little one."

He groaned with confusion, rubbing at his temples with his hands. Why did feeling things have to be so complicated? "And…the bad news?"

"It may not be easy. Perhaps confusing at times," North nodded to affirm his own statement, with a longing expression as if he knew the feeling all too well. "But when the time comes, your heart will tell you what it wants."

"…so basically I've gotta suck it up until my heart figures out what the heck is going on in my brain, don't I?"

The old man chuckled, patting his adoptive son on the back. "You think much too objectively. Relax a little! Let your heart decide what is best for you. Love is very tricky, but in time you will know what to do."

Thinking about what North had said, Jack figured it made sense. Maybe he was just overthinking this Hiccup situation, or forcing himself to make a decision too quickly. I mean, if romance (he didn't even _want _to call it love; liking him was confusing as it was, but loving was an enigma on its own) was as tricky as the old man made it sound, he shouldn't force himself to understand it, right? Jack has always been a guy to go with the flow, and now that he was stumbling around trying to figure himself out.

In the end, Jack was just… Stuck. Jammed right in the middle of multiple but equally complex emotions that flickered on and off to their own amusement. He was fumbling for a rhyme and reason to every flutter in his stomach and the catalyst of curdling nausea from choking his feelings down around Hiccup. His thoughts told him one thing while the rhythm of his heart screamed another, yet each message ran at an equal depth, advising him in opposite directions in a complicated cluster of thoughts.

North told him to listen to his heart. That was all fine and good, really, but honestly, he hadn't the _slightest _idea what his heart was trying to tell him (nor how an organ hammering beneath his ribs was supposed to help him govern his emotions). All he knew was what his head told him; how feeling this way about his best friend—his next door neighbor, his companion, and a _boy_ no less—was stupid an weird. He knew that Hiccup's laugh made his heart race and how much he liked being around the boy; all of that had been obvious from the start. He knew that Hiccup had a place in his life, and he never wanted him to leave that place (selfish as that may be)

Hiccup was… someone special to Jack. That much was certain.

He was someone that mattered, someone whose approval meant everything. Hiccup was his best friend and companion; an entertaining, clumsy little dork that Jack found absolutely fascinating. He was full of surprises and packed full of quirks the older boy loved discovering by accident. And despite the romantic undertone to Jack's Hiccup-related observations, he wouldn't risk their friendship for anything. Years of bonding and playful bickering had taught and brought the boy so much; imagining life without Hiccup's snarky sarcasm or his ridiculous laugh was sort of… frightening. Bland. Life without Hiccup was a horrible thought.

The accident scared the living daylights out of the older boy. The threat of his best friend bring broken beyond repair sent him spiraling; he could still remember the ache in his chest from when he heard the boy cry, and the initial terror from his missing limb. Jack was grateful to whatever forces made sure he was okay, but that thought, that initial fear when Hiccup "wasn't coming back"… It stuck. Never mind all the romantic business—losing a _friend _like Hiccup would be the end of him.

How he'd choose to handle this would be risky, then, wouldn't it?

So… In the end… maybe over-thinking their relationship was a mistake. Maybe he needed to give this time like North had said, and handle all this confusion when the right moment presented itself. Jack could deal with liking Hiccup when everything settled down; right now he needed to focus on getting to know him, and figuring himself out. And should the opportunity to act on his feelings present itself, Jack would have to confront his confusions and determine what kind of relationship he (and Hiccup) wanted. Like all things in life, the two of them would need time—the time to grow and put all the pieces in their places.

And maybe waiting wouldn't be easy. Maybe waiting would hurt in some regards, maybe he'd have to sit by and pat the idiot on the back while he dated, but… that was alright.

To Jack, Hiccup was worth the wait—no matter what direction it brought them in.

* * *

**Author's Note: **The ending was fluffy by accident, I swear. Who knows, maybe it'll be important later *nudge nudge* Again, I'm sorry for the slower update than usual. Had a bit of a hard time on this one, but looking at my outline we should be moving right along now (as far as I know, this is the only real "filler" I have planned). Next chapter I'll go into their date and stuff. Thank you for the reviews and follows!


	27. Looking Up

**Author's Note: **So… this was supposed to be a double-update. Hatchet: the second half isn't done yet; the honey is that it's _half_ done. My warning here is that this chapter is… _seriously _on the short side. I'm really sorry about it, but I've been getting a little busy and I won't bore you with that. I'll get the next chapter up as soon as I can—this one is basically Hicstrid central (how their date went, what their relationship is like, etc.), whereas the next two have more HiJack and fun times. It's actually a bit on the short side (sorry), because their date was all I had down for this chapter so~ yeah. The title is a song by Paramore that _actually _kind of pertains to the chapter.

**Basic Overview: **Astrid and Hiccup are going on their first date, and things take an interesting turn.

**Point of View: **3rd person: Hiccup

**Warnings: **Hicstrid central, guys.

**Age Reminder: **Jack is 13 (7th grade); Hiccup is 11 (7th grade); Emma is 11 (5h grade)

* * *

**Chapter 27: **Looking Up

**January 27****th**

**Sunday**

* * *

Astrid's mother… well… wasn't exactly what Henrik had pictured.

Honestly? She didn't look a _thing _like the blonde preteen (well… eyes aside, I suppose), with notably different features and a fuller build. Her hair was darker (but that could of _easily _been the lighting) and tied into two braids hanging low on her head. Of course, he wasn't one to talk since he and Sven were so different in appearance—but that didn't change a thing. Astrid's mother was probably just as large as his father. As they strolled over to the car, she climbed out of the driver's seat to greet them and smiled widely. From a distance, she really didn't seem that tall of a woman (average, like some of his teachers at school) but as she came closer perspective smacked him in the face and soon enough she was towering over him; and at Henrik's particular height, he didn't exactly have the best… _view _of her. The woman definitely had a *ahem* _fuller _figure, with wider hips a larger chest Henrik was trying not to look at despite the awkward position he was in.

…Hey, don't give him that look; he wasn't _trying _to look at her chest, but it was kind of _right _in his face!

Astrid was the first of them to step forward, and, after placing a hand on her mother's arm, she threw the blushing brunet a smile. "Henrik, this is my Mom. Mom, Henrik."

She had to bend over a bit to see him, and that _definitely _wasn't helping his "view" situation. "So, _you're _my daughter's date, huh?"

He took a step back and darted his eyes between the ground and the pair of eyes scanning him up and down. "E-er… y-yeah," he held out a hand politely. "I-It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Hofferson."

There was a brief but somehow _long _pause, where Henrik held his breath for a moment and watched her silently judge him. She chuckled after a moment and shook his hand roughly (he honestly hoped the _pop _in his wrist was just in his imagination). "Please, you're too polite! It's Bertha, dear."

Henrik wasn't the best with names, but considering her stance as his girlfriend's mother (and the ridiculously huge boobs she's probably _killed _someone with before—it'd take a _miracle _to forget that detail) he had a feeling he'd remember Bertha's name just fine. He tried to force a smile despite the unusual intimidation settling in his gut and nodded. "Right. Er… nice to meet you, Bertha."

Bertha turned to Astrid with a laugh. "I'm surprised you'd pick this one. I think he's tinier than you are!"

Astrid covered her eyes with her hand and groaned. "Mom."

"I'm just saying," she glanced at Henrik quickly and back at her daughter. "I mean, considering all those dumb boys you're always hanging around with he's _puny_."

"_Mom._"

She wagged her hand at the boy, as if to wave off her comment. "No offense, of course. You seem nice, just not quite what I thought Astrid would—"

"_MOM."_

Bertha scoffed. "What?"

Astrid narrowed her eyes and pressed her lips into a thin line. That must have been Mother-Daughter code for something, since her mother seemed to pick up on it immediately. Henrik sniggered. Something about the entire conversation felt vaguely familiar to him.

"Alright, alright…" she sighed. "I guess I'm embarrassing her, _so _sorry."

"Beyond belief, actually." The blonde chimed in. "Can we get going?"

Gesturing toward the car with one of her hands, Bertha nodded. "Fine. But only since you're in _such _a rush."

* * *

The ride to the movies wasn't particularly long, but every awkward silence between them felt like hours dragging by.

Bertha seemed particularly interested in Henrik (with good reason, of course), so her consistent flow of questions and snarky comments for the boy broke through the thick silence without a problem. It was when he ran out of creative or lengthened responses that a problem presented itself. See, it's not that Henrik was a bad conversationalist; he could talk to people just fine and keep a discussion surviving for a decent amount of time. His problem was small talk, and the fumbling transition between topics. "How are you" and pleasantries about the weather could only get the boy so far; heaven forbid the small talk died and left him to fumble for something to talk about.

Astrid must have noticed his uneasiness and smiled, knocking a knee into his. "So," she kicked her feet back and forth. "What mischief have you been up to lately?"

Henrik shrugged, mustering a clever response with a moment of thought. "Oh nothing. Robbed a bank, tamed a dragon, blew up a mountain, plunged the world into darkness, you know; business as usual."

She sniggered, a smile gracing her face.

The brunet felt himself return the gesture, twitching his lips up sheepishly. "Honestly, not much. I've been pretty busy trying to keep up with all the homework and projects lately."

"Swamped, huh?"

"I guess. Or… well, not completely."

Astrid nodded as if she understood. "It _is_ getting pretty crazy, isn't it? Especially science. Our teacher's a total psycho."

"What do you mean?"

"_Besides_ the overwhelming assignments? He's kinda weird!" She shrugged.

He didn't seem that weird when Henrik thought about it. Eccentric at best, but he was an understanding teacher when it came to homework or tests. "Are you kidding? He's probably one of the nicest teachers I've had!"

"Well _yeah _he's nice, but he gives me this weird mad-scientist vibe. Like he's… I dunno, plotting some sort of robot-invasion or something."

Would it be weird to say her comment reminded him of Jack? It made him laugh, since when he usually talked to Astrid she was more serious or to-the-point. Thinking about her comment, she wasn't entirely wrong; their teacher had that sort of look to him, with dark, kind of scraggly hair that tended to stick up in weird places and a lab coat always sitting on his shoulders. Jack pointed out to him once that he was wearing a sweater in September (on a hotter day, oddly enough), and Henrik was puzzled by it for the rest of the day. "I could see it, the lab coat and frizzy hair and all."

"Right?!" the blonde cheered. "I'm telling you; he builds robots in his basement."

"Maybe he uses us as test subjects," Henrik chimed in. "Or like, does surveillance so they know how to act when they replace us."

"I bet he uses our projects for parts."

"… I'd like to see what he's gonna use like, 20 different models of the solar system for."

"Some weird foam-planet ray gun?" she laughed at the look Henrik gave her and pushed her bangs out of her eyes, shaking her head with an amused grin. "Hey, you never know. Foam could be lethal. I bet if someone blasted you with Jupiter hard enough you'd bruise."

Henrik snorted. "That sounds like something out of a bad sci-fi movie, ya' know; someone shooting planets out of a gun."

"Bad? Are you kidding? That's a movie I'd _pay_ to see."

Bertha chuckled from the front seat, glancing back at them quickly through the rear-view mirror. "The two of you are so goofy."

* * *

"I'll be around the mall while you two are watching the movie," Bertha reminded them, giving Astrid a stern glare. The blonde straightened her back as if she were some kid of soldier. "Send me a text when it gets out, and I'll meet you by the ticket booth."

Astrid nodded and dug through her pocket, pulling out a slim blue flip-phone as if to assure Bertha that she had it. "Will do. Thanks Mom."

"Of course," she kissed her daughter's forehead quickly and turned to Henrik with a sly grin. "Behave yourselves, alright? I like you, Henrik; don't make me regret that."

He swallowed, straightening his back the same way Astrid had. "Uh… yes ma'am."

A smile lit up her face before she turned for the stairs. The two of them watched her slowly descend from their line of sight and collectively sighed with relief. Astrid elbowed his side to regain his attention. "So, what did you want to see?"

Oh crap. He probably should have thought of that ahead of time, shouldn't he? (It hadn't even crossed his mind amidst the excitement.)

Glancing at the various titles and their accompanying posters, Henrik found himself skimming his eyes along titles that didn't ring any bells. He tried to remember the commercials for some of them (from all the times he and Jack sat down to watch cartoons) but none came to mind; just vague, hazy images that slurred into an unmemorable mess of a trailer. Eventually he resorted to looking at times and picking the nearest one; some weird looking movie with a poster of some white couple almost kissing. Part of his mind dreaded the thought of sitting through a chick-flick, while the other told him to suck it up (mostly because he had no idea what Astrid would be into). Besides, they _were _on a date anyways; weren't people _supposed _to see movies like this on dates? It only made sense…

Henrik shyly pointed to the title slot on the digital screen. "Err… how about that one?"

She blinked, glancing at the title. "Brown-eyed Girl?"

"…yes?"

"kay. Lead the way, then~"

As they made their way up the line to the ticket booth, Henrik glanced over at his date and noted the shy smile she gave him. It didn't seem like she was particularly opposed to it (despite how weirded out the attendant seemed when they went up) so the two of them paid for tickets and hurried into the theater.

* * *

If Henrik wanted to watch a couple's dysfunction for two hours, he'd go to Ikea.

I swear, this freaking movie made him want to claw his eyes out. So far the first half was about this chick and her boyfriend arguing about trivial things and gradually growing distant; there was virtually no plot, no gripping tale of hardship and woe, the characters were boring (he forgot their names within 10 minutes of stating them) and _oh gods_ would someone just throw a pie already? This was worse than those cruddy "don't do drugs" movies they showed at school, where 40-something-year-old men are trying to relate to middle schoolers (he'd probably _prefer_ to watch one compared to this snore-fest). Half the jokes they cracked were probably too adult for Henrik or Astrid to understand, and the overall atmosphere of the movie was overly dramatic.

It seemed like Astrid was equally as bored, with her head rolled back onto the back of the seat and her shoulders slumped into the cushion. Halfway through some oh-so-dramatic fight between the main character and some random guy (whose name Henrik didn't remember _or_ care about), she tapped him on the shoulder and made a "let's go" gesture with her thumb. Henrik couldn't slide out of his seat fast enough. The two of them made their way down the steps and rushed out of the theater, groaning collectively when they got outside.

Astrid was the first to laugh. "Oh _gods_ that was torture."

Henrik rubbed at his temples with his fingers. "I am _so_ sorry. Please _never_ let me pick a movie again."

"_Heck_ no." She chuckled, punching his arm playfully. He winced at the sudden blow and followed her eyes as they lowered to her phone screen. "Well, we've got about… hmm… an hour or so to kill. Feel like seeing something else?"

He blinked, staring at her confusedly. If he remembered correctly, he'd only brought enough money to cover his ticket and a small ice cream; since he kind of blew the ticket-half, he was a little short. "Uh… I don't think I have enough for another ticket."

"Not _quite _what I meant," she sniggered, glancing around at some of the neighboring theaters and their showings. A smile worked its way onto her face as she looked to the left. "How about a lame horror movie?"

"…I still think I don't have enough for—"

"Dude. I mean let's sneak into it."

Henrik gaped at her. "Wait, seriously?"

"Yeah," Astrid shrugged as if it were no big deal. "You've never snuck into a movie before?"

"W-well… no. I mean, Jack tried to get me to hide in one of the theaters with him so he could see the movie playing after, but North ended up catching on so uh…" he sighed. "No, never _successfully _snuck into a movie."

"Well, there's a first time for everything."

"What if we get caught?"

"Hey, no worries. I've done this a couple of times, and I've never gotten caught; trust me."

"…y-you're _sure _we're not gonna get in trouble?" Henrik stammered nervously, fiddling with the end of his shirt.

"Positive." She gingerly reached for his hand and smiled. "Just follow my lead."

His heart must have skipped five beats. With a shaky nod, he followed her into a theatre down the hall.

* * *

Sneaking in was arguably the best decision he'd ever made.

Now don't get me wrong—the movie wasn't good. At all. In fact, the only remarkably enjoyable thing about it was how _horrible _it was; Astrid and Henrik were in stitches for the full hour it ran from all the cheesy one-liners and lame special effects for the alleged "swamp monster" (please, it was just some guy in a lazily-painted Ghillie suit; even _Henrik _could tell you that). What made it even better were the adults sitting a few rows in front of them who were _actually _afraid. When the movie pulled a (dreadfully predictable) jump-scare, they all flinched or whimpered. Astrid just laughed. She mocked the oh-so-terrifying groan the monster made sarcastically and Henrik choked back a snigger, since one of the theater attendants was glaring daggers at them.

The lights relit after the main character had bested the monster, and as the credits rolled the two of them listened to the women in front of them talk about how they're "so totally not sleeping tonight". Astrid didn't even _try _not to laugh, earning a confused glance from one of the red-heads leaving the theater. The two of them made their way out and got out the rest of their laughter by the stairs. Neither of them said anything, but just by glancing at the other's face they were in hysterics. Henrik shook his head, chuckling to himself and taking quick (and guilty) glances at his date.

"Oh _gods_," Astrid coughed as if she were trying to regain her breath. "That was horrible!"

The smile on her face told the boy that was a good thing, so he nodded with a laugh. "Absolutely terrible, but somehow better than the chick flick…"

"Eh... sorry we almost suffered a rom-com." He held up a hand and stiffened his back. "I swear I'll never force you to endure another _minute_ of one again."

"You'd _better_." She chuckled, reaching into her pocket to dig out the ticket stub. Astrid held it up proudly, as if it were a prize. "No worries, though. At least we have the lame stubs. 'm pretty sure Mom wouldn't be too cool with us watching guts fly all over the place for two hours."

Recalling more of the _awful _movie effects, the brunet groaned. "Gods, they were so fake it's _painful_."

"Totally just oatmeal and ketchup."

Henrik snickered. "Gross..."

Silence settled between them as his date clicked away at her phone (assumedly telling her mother where they were). After stuffing the device into her pocket, they chatted for a while about the movie until she finally glanced over at the stairs.

"Oh! There's my Mom," Astrid pointed to an approaching form coming up the staircase. "We don't say _anything_ about the horror movie, 'kay?"

"What if she asks about the rom-com?"

"Make something up. You're creative; it shouldn't be too hard." She smiled, returning her attention to Bertha. "Hey Mom."

"Hey you two. So what'd you two end up seeing? Anything good?" Bertha asked. She held out a hand and Astrid handed her their movie stubs. Glancing over them quickly, she gaped at Henrik incredulously. "You _actually _got Astrid to sit through something romantic?"

Astrid sighed dramatically, throwing Henrik an amused glance. "It was pretty lame at first... But I guess it was _okay.._. The male lead wasn't even that good looking, though."

Henrik nodded, forcing back a smile. "True, but the story was touching."

"On what planet? They didn't even end up together."

He forced a scoff, lowering his eyes to keep from bursting into laughter. "Well yeah but that was the point; they weren't _supposed _to."

"Whatever you say… I still think it was lame."

Bertha chuckled, smiling at both of them widely. "Well, I'm glad you liked it." She glanced at Astrid and then turned to Henrik. "Or at least _one _of you did."

Nothing about the situation was funny, but Henrik oddly felt like laughing. He peeked at his date and she zipped her lips with two fingers, as if to say "my lips are sealed".

* * *

The car ride to the ice cream shop was short and silent.

Neither of them really knew what to say, since the horror movie was still fresh in their minds but Bertha couldn't know about it. Instead, they sat quietly and made small talk while Astrid's mother rambled on. It seemed like the blonde was overjoyed when they arrived, with a long exasperated sigh and smile. She joked about how her mother never stopped talking, earning a stern "Oh, I am _not _that bad" from her mother and a threat to tell Henrik baby stories if she didn't watch her tone. Naturally, she shut up and wearily turned to her date with a sigh. After rolling her eyes, the two of them strolled inside the shop to get their ice cream. Like usual, Henrik stuck with his favorite-mint chocolate chip. Astrid ordered herself chocolate with sprinkles and (after fumbling for the crumpled five he lazily stuffed in his pocket) they paid, immediately sitting across from one another at a small tabled by the window. Bertha gave her "behave" warning and sat at another table. Once her back had turned, Astrid sighed with relief, rolling her head back to rest on the cushion.

"Ugh... sorry about my Mom."

Henrik shrugged, licking at his ice cream for a moment. "It's alright. She's really funny."

"And extremely nosy."

He... couldn't really argue with that. "Well... yeah. Kinda felt like an interview in the car."

"Heh. You handled it pretty well, though." She licked her ice cream and smiled. "It seems like she likes you."

"...she does?"

"Yeah." The blonde nodded, then furrowed her eyes brows in thought. "Or… Well, she hasn't complained yet. Or thrown you out of the car."

Something about that last one seemed like something he could see her doing. He shuddered at the thought. "Well uh... _that's _a good sign."

"Yeah, my Mom hates _all _my guy friends."

"...but not me?"

An honest smile grew on Astrid's lips. "Well... You're not like them. You're... different."

Henrik's cheeks flushed. "And that's uh... that's a good thing?"

"Yeah." She chuckled, brushing her bangs out of her eyes. "That's a good thing."

Oh thank _Thor—_he'd been a nervous wreck half the night!

He fumbled for a compliment back; a generic "you're pretty" popped into his head but that somehow didn't fit the moment. Taking a moment to forge an honest thought, he stuttered, "W-well you're uh... You're like... t-the coolest girl I know."

She smiled at him and bowed her head with what _looked _like flushed cheeks. The brunet smiled at the thought of her blushing; it was an… unusually _adorable _picture in his head. "...so… since I've made things kinda… awk…ward…" Henrik dragged out each syllable, trying to break the silence threatening to settle between them (which—luckily—earned a laugh from his date). He curled his fingers in and out, licking at his ice cream before a question popped into his head. "You're uh... You're really athletic and all... you play any sports?"

Astrid took a bite out of her ice cream and smiled. Stray blonde locks swept across her shoulders, her braid swinging along her back. "I thought about volleyball but... I'm not sure I'd be good enough for a team sport."

"Not good enough? Astrid, I'm pretty sure you spiked out Pitch's nose out last week!"

She laughed. "Is _that w_hy it looks so weird?"

"It wouldn't surprise me! Seriously, you could probably _kill _someone with your spike."

He winced when she reached over to pat his head. Oh thank the gods. He was half-expecting to get hit. "Thanks, Henrik. That's sweet of you. Ya' know, killing part aside." Her eyes lowered for a moment, before the ambitious pools of blue darted back up to meet his own flustered greens. "What about you? You do anything after school?"

Henrik snorted. "Not sports, if that's what you're asking. I'm about 90% sure _anyone_ in our grade could break me over their knee."

"Hey, who knows—you could be stronger than you think!"

"I… somehow _highly _doubt that… but thanks," he shook his head. "I don't really do much after school. I mean, our school doesn't have much _to _do."

"True," the blonde nodded. "What about Jack?"

Henrik blanked. "What about him?"

"Isn't he a lacrosse player or something?"

The brunet couldn't choke back his laughter; the thought of Jack _actually _playing sports was unbelievably funny. "Jack? Playing sports? No way; he's just as breakable as I am!"

She sniggered. "Seriously? Yeesh, I just kinda figured he was the athletic type."

"No _way,_" Henrik thought back for a moment, to one of the gym classes they were playing basketball and Jack ended up passing the ball to someone else the _second _someone ran at him. It was _really _funny, actually; the look on his face was like a deer in the headlights, eyes wide and waiting to get hit by the truck of a boy coming at him. Of course he was smart enough to divert the kid's attention, and he came out of it harm-free, but there was no denying that the incident was hilarious. _Especially _since he was talking about how oh-so-freaking-amazing he was at sports while the younger boy listened to him from the sidelines. The memory made him laugh. "Jack talks up a storm, but he _just_ talks."

"Seems like it. That's kinda surprising, though. He struck me as someone who'd go for sports."

"He's probably about as athletic as I am, but maybe a _little _less… well, handicapped." He bent his knee for emphasis and Astrid chuckled.

"Sounds about right." Her eyes lowered to his leg and he followed them. "Must be weird wobbling around on that thing."

"Eh… it takes getting used to," Henrik tapped the metal end against the floor a few times, as if to reassure himself the prosthetic was still there. "I mean, I've had it for a while and I _still _fall on my face half the time."

"I've noticed," she giggled.

A sense of dread followed her laugh in Henrik's head. He wasn't sure why, but he opted to ignore it. Rolling his eyes, he muttered under his breath, "Oh great…"

"No worries, really! It's… I dunno, kinda cute you're klutzy. I mean, not to say it's cool you're tripping everywhere but… eh, I dunno… that… probably sounds _really _stupid."

Go figure—Jack's little jab about girls liking his clumsiness _actually _wasn't wrong.

"Is it like… do you _feel _it there or…?"

"If I think about it too much, but other than that I don't really notice it often." He shrugged, letting his thoughts trail from his mind to his lips. "I just kind of ignore it. I guess… I dunno, if I act like I'm not a _total _weirdo, and that there's nothing wrong with me, no one else'll notice there is."

Astrid's smile wavered for a minute, but after a moment of thought she reached across the table and put a hand over his. Henrik felt his heart completely stop in his chest and then leap back into its usual rhythm of pumps and bumps. Their eyes locked for a minute and she carefully assured, "Well… I don't think you're a weirdo. Actually, you're… probably one of the nicest guys I've met."

His heart thumped hard against his ribs, probably doing cartwheels, Ollies, backflips, and all kinds of crazy stunts at Astrid's comment. His fingers fidgeted under hers, and with a gulp he managed to stutter out, "I uh… really?"

She bowed her head with a flustered chuckle. "Well… y-yeah."

Henrik wasn't entirely sure how he was supposed to respond to that, so he settled on a nod and after a moment of avoiding eye contact with each other she pulled back her hand. They finished their ice cream in the silence left from their awkward exchange, occasionally glancing up at each other with nervous giggles and sheepish smiles. Astrid bowed her head.

"Guess it was my turn to make things awk…ward." She mimicked Henrik's previous quip, earning a snigger from the boy. Before he could get a word out, he caught Bertha walking over to bring them back home. The three of them piled into the car once more, and for another twenty minutes the two preteens fumbled for something to talk about.

After everything, talking to Astrid _really _shouldn't have been so hard.

* * *

They'd gotten back some time around 9:30pm, and when Henrik shut his car door and waited for Astrid he spotted Sven standing in the doorway.

Part of his brain was glad to see him off his conference call, while the other half was _screaming _about how he was probably about to embarrass him in front of his possibly-not-sure-yet-but-hopefully girlfriend. The two of them walked over dragging their steps (or… well, it was mostly Henrik but Astrid kept his pace with him) and keeping their hands as _far _away from each other as they could manage. As they got to the front steps, his father smiled (or at least he assumed it was a smile; part of his mustache curved upward and his beard shifted up with it) and looked between the two of them. His eyes finally settled on Astrid, and once he got a good look at her he threw Henrik a quick but amazed glance as if he couldn't believe he was _actually _on a date. Something about it stung a little, but he chose to ignore it.

"You must be my son's date," the large man cheered, gesturing for the two of them to come onto the front porch. They obeyed hurriedly, and his father held out a hand for Astrid to shake. "I'm Sven, Henrik's father."

"Nice to meet you," She smiled politely. "I'm Astrid, the… girl who kind of borrowed your son for the evening."

Sven seemed amused by her answer. He turned to his son with a grin and patted him on the head, catching the message the boy put out with his eyes after a moment of staring at him blankly. Giving Astrid a nod, he turned back into the house and strolled off (presumably not that far away, just knowing his father).

"I really had fun tonight," Astrid smiled, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Her eyes lowered to the ground.

Henrik nodded, shrinking back a bit. "Yeah, me too. Ya' know. Crappy horror movie and rom-com aside."

"Hey, voice down; my Mom's like, two feet away." The blonde laughed, nudging his arm playfully when he flustered. "Next time I pick the movie, since you're apparently a bad picker, 'kay?"

"Yeah, yeah… guilty as charged…"

She punched him in the arm with a giggle. He thought about what she'd said for a minute and felt the little light bulb flick on over his head.

"Wait. Next time. I… so does that mean… er…" Henrik's voice trailed to a series of confused stammers.

She nodded slowly, clearly trying to fight back a laugh. "Well, I'd um… like to do this again sometime. If that's cool, I mean."

"N-no, no it's cool!" He reassured perhaps a _bit_ too hastily. "I'd… I'd like that a lot."

Astrid took a deep breath, sighing with relief. "Thank the gods…" she mumbled under her breath, brushing her bangs out of her eyes. Something about the relief on her face reassured Henrik that he wasn't alone in the shyness department. Before he could manage another word out, she punched him in the arm and bowed her head shyly. He rubbed at the afflicted spot, groaning a bit but smiling it off. Oh _gods _she hit hard; I mean, you'd think someone of her stature (not as a girl—since Henrik knew about ten different girls in their class that could beat him up if they _really _wanted to—but physically and size-wise) wouldn't throw as hard a punch but _wow! _Henrik could've sworn he heard glass shattering, though that might have been his bone snapping in half like a wimpy twig.

* * *

**Author's Note: **You can't go wrong with poorly executed references and Hiccup-awkward. I'm really sorry my updates have been so slow. I feel horrible about it but it's been a frantic week. Thanks for the follows and reviews and I'll get back on the ball; it's just going to take me some time to get into the swing of things. I have study hall and this weekend to work the chapter (a party in particular that I _intend _to ignore everyone at), so it'll get done. Until then, you can have a preview since I've been a crappy updater:

* * *

**Chapter 28—Dark Blue (Preview)**

**July 4****th**

"I can't believe we never thought of this," Jack groaned, tossing his head back with a roll of his eyes. He dinked himself in the forehead for emphasis, and prided the snigger from Hiccup it earned him. "Years of playing on the rooftops and we never thought of seein' fireworks up here. _Man _we're stupid!"

Hiccup snorted, elbowing him in the arm. "I think you mean _you're _stupid."

"Hicccuppp, why are you so _meaaannn~_" the older boy sang, swatting him in the arm a few times. Hiccup brushed off his assault and he awkwardly laughed it off with a faltering, forced frown. Something about him forcing back that crooked grin on his face was adorable, like he was _so _insistent on being a stick in the mud despite some hidden inner-desire to be just as wild as his best friend. The notion made his tummy twist, and a string of curiosities pop into his head. Realizing he was losing his focus yet _again, _Jack cleared his throat: to break his Hiccup-stupor _and _the newfound silence.

Slow down there, Overland. _Bad_ train of thought.

Pursing his lips, the younger looked up at the sky and furrowed his eyebrows. "Don't you think it's a little too cloudy for fireworks?"

"Don't be a downer—"

"Dude, I'm serious!" He peeked at Jack from the corner of his darting green eyes. "Are we even gonna _see_ them with all the clouds?"

The thought hadn't occurred to Jack. The overcast had been lingering above them all day, shrouding the sky in a dreary white hue that looked like someone poured too much white on a blue canvas. Dark splotches of gray outlined a few of the clouds and cloaked one with a thick, ashy veil that was drawing near ever-so-quickly. The older brunet's eyebrows furrowed with annoyance. He could hardly see any of the aerial azures behind all the clouds, and Hiccup had a point; how were they supposed to see the fireworks in the park if they couldn't even see the sky? Welp. There went his super amazing 4th of July plan, jumping _right _off the roof and splatting into the yard.

"_AW MAN,_" Jack vocally groaned, rolling his head back with an irritated huff. "They probably postponed 'em!"

Hiccup put a hand on his shoulder, and he tried to ignore the leap in his stomach from the action. He sniggered but soothed his friend. "Sorry, Jack. It would've been cool if we saw 'em, though."

"You're tellin' me…" he slumped his shoulders and let his body fall, his back colliding with the rooftop with a quiet _thunk. _Something cracked somewhere, but—due to a lack of pain, as far as he was aware of—he passed it off as nothing and paid no mind to it. He grinned when his best friend followed his lead, lying back next to him with his hands curled over his chest. Jack folded his own behind his head as a make-shift pillow. "Oh well… There's nothing wrong with the two of us just hanging out for Independence Day, right?"

Hiccup snorted, throwing him such a dead-pan glare that Jack could _already _hear the sarcasm coming from his mouth. "Absolutely, I hate you."

"Yeah right," the older boy teased, raising his chin proudly. "As if you _could _hate me. I'm _way_ too likeable."

He didn't have to look over to see his best friend roll his eyes. Jack fought back a smile at the notion, and felt the lead weight brush the bottom of his belly without landing. He debated saying something, considered ridding himself of that troublesome nausea and the guilt that came from keeping secrets from his friend. I mean… what was the worst that could happen, right? So he says something stupid and Hiccup reacts poorly; Jack was a _master _of laughing his way out of situations. He could easily fabricate some intricate lie to cover his tracks, right? Right.

Taking a deep breath and a moment to calm his nerves, the boy turned his head to look at his friend and quietly mumbled,

"…hey, Hiccup?"


	28. Dark Blue

**Author's Note: **Hello dearies! I'm excited for the next few chapters, since I ended up squishing about three of them into this one (no worries; they were minor ideas I intended to expand on and _will_) and we're even _closer _to the HiJack. This chapter has some in it and some pr~etty important developments. So… yeah. The title is a song by Jack's Mannequin that I _want _to say is relevant because the color/title pertains to Jack and the lyrics pertain to Hiccup and Jack's relationship. Kind of. Minus the romantic undertones (or minus _half _the undertones *badum tish for bad unrequited crush jab*). The phonetic dialogue for Jack with his "speech problem" is temporary, I swear; I wanted to put it in for emphasis, and I realize it's annoying to read. (It lasts about half the chapter, sorry) God these things always end up so _long._ I'll shut up now. Long chapter ahoy.

**Basic Overview: **Summer is kicking off with Astrid's pool party, and a few… unexpected developments.

**Point of View: **3rd person: Hiccup/Jack alteration

**Warnings: **some Hicstrid, minor panic attack

**Age Reminder: **Jack is 13 (8th grade); Hiccup is 12 (8th grade); Emma is 11 (6h grade)

* * *

**Chapter 28: **Dark Blue

**June 21****st**

* * *

"Let me see them!"

The older brunet raised his chin, turning his head as far away from his friend as physical possible. He furrowed his eyebrows, fighting back the beginnings of a smirk from twitching across his lips. Jack was _not _about to let that squirt win their little game (though… it was more a matter of embarrassment than a game, really); he shoved back when Hiccup nudged forward to reach for his lips. He nipped at his fingertips when the boy tried to tug them apart with his fingers. The freckled brunet squeaked at the little bites, but continued to persist. "No!" Jack yelled back, pressing his lips into a thin line to prevent them from parting.

Hiccup crossed his arms, furrowing his brows with a frown. "Oh come on, Jack…"

Jack shook his head. Like _heck _he was gonna crack! He was a _brick wall! _

The younger batted his eyelashes cutely, jokingly jutting out his bottom lip. "_Pl~ease_?"

…curse those puppy eyes. Stay strong, Overland!

"No!" he repeated, being _sure _to keep his lips from parting as he spat it.

"Fine," Hiccup stomped his foot, sighing loudly. Aha! Victory was Jack's! "But you're gonna have to talk to me sooner or later, and I'm gonna see them."

Jack stuck out his tongue. "Yeah right," he managed to get out, fumbling with his words. The younger boy must have saw an opening, since he immediately lunged at him and caught his tongue between his fingers, forcing the older to open his mouth with a disgruntled and (embarrassingly) spitty, "STHOOOOP!"

He took a quick look before the bellowing baby snapped his mouth shut, nearly biting down on his fingers in the process. After a surprised squeak, Hiccup cheered, wiping his hand on the side of his jeans with a victorious grin. "AHA! YOUR BRACES ARE _BLUE_!"

Jack pouted, crossing his arms over his chest dejectedly. Curse his cleverness… Hiccup won _this_ round. Nothing got past him, apparently; the _second _he mentioned going to the dentist to his best friend, the freckled brunet must have caught on (after a series of frequent visits back in March and April) and _insisted _they hung out the second he got back. Dang it… Jack was _sure _he hadn't mentioned the braces before… Fidgeting his tongue behind his teeth, he managed to lisp out, "…stho what? 'Sth not that big a deal…"

"Hehe," he sniggered. "You talk funny. You're stuck lisping, huh?"

"Ah sthuddup… Your sthutters justh as bad." The older dinked him in the forehead, earning an amused giggle from the boy. "The dentisth said I just gotta get usthed to 'em."

"Do they hurt at all?"

Jack shrugged. "Well, I _justh _got 'em; If I poke the back oneth enough it sthings really bad. Ugh… I hate thethe shtupid things! I'm a total brathe fathe _and _I have a _sthupid_ lithp…"

"Could be worse," Hiccup tried to reassure, choking back a laugh as he listened to the boy lisp. "At least you don't have those freaky head-brace things some people gotta wear."

"Head brathe?"

He shrugged. "Ya' know, like Jimmy—from Ed, Edd, n' Eddy."

Jack cringed at the thought. North couldn't _pay _him enough money to wear one of those stupid things, no matter _how _weirdly his teeth were growing in. "Ugh. That'd be terrible!"

"_See? _They're not _that_ bad," the younger smiled, poking the plush skin of his cheek. "At least they'll fix your teeth. Which is kinda weird, since mine are worse than yours but I don't need 'em."

"Don't remind me…" Jabbing his nose, the older furrowed his eyebrows. "You got _lucky_, Haddock."

"Heh. I guess so."

With a heavy sigh, Jack slinked back into the couch and let his shoulder sink. Hiccup followed, folding his hands neatly in his lap, looking over at his friend with a thin smile. "Can't believe thith… thupid brathes."

"How long you stuck with 'em for?"

He groaned loudly, recalling the _lovely _conversation he had with his dentist (and their vaguely colorful assistant, who he could have _sworn _was Tooth) about taking care of his teeth. "A yeaarrrr…"

"Seriously?" he seemed confused, rubbing at the back of his neck sheepishly. "I thought people were supposed to have 'em on for two."

"If I take care of 'em I can get 'em off early, like—the dentisth thaid a year earlier."

"Oh. Well that's not that bad, I guess." Hiccup sighed, poking his cheek again. Jack swatted his finger, and the boy persisted, jabbing his shoulder instead. "So… wait, you don't want anyone seein' em, right?"

"_No _way! It'd be embarrathing…"

"Why get blue?"

Is that even a question? Everything _about _Jack was blue—like, how do you explain why you like a _color_? "What?"

"If you didn't want people to see them, why not get white? Blue's too bright. You could probably see it a mile away."

…he didn't even…

"…AW _MAN!_" Jack stomped his foot, throwing his head back with a groan. "MY COLOR INTHTINCT THAID BLUE!"

Hiccup laughed, patting his friend on the on back as if to comfort him. "That's what you get for not thinking before you answer."

"Yeah, yeah, I know, _Mom._"

"Oh knock it off." He swatted his arm, landing a decent blow on his elbow. The two of them sniggered, laughing until the moment died and left them sitting in a thick silence. Jack bowed his head, craning his neck around since it stiffened. Knocking his shoulder into his friend's, he rolled his head in his direction and smiled at him.

"Stho," he fumbled for a conversation starter. "Got any _sthuper _amazing sthummer plans?"

Hiccup snorted at his lisp and Jack just rolled his eyes. Returning his focus to the question, he nudged his shoulder back. "Astrid's having a pool party on Sunday. You got invited too if you wanna tag along. (She wanted me to ask you anyways…) And uh…" he thought for a moment, as if he were sifting through some grand, mental schedule devoid of plans on the pages. With a shrug, the younger brunet stuttered, "Uh… y-yeah, that's about it. Not much. It's another vacation at home."

"Nothin' wrong with that," Jack grinned, elbowing his bellying. "Justh meanths I get to come bug you every day."

"Oh _great,_" he sarcastically groaned, rolling his eyes. "More _you_, just what my summer needed."

"Hicccuppppp," Jack teased back, throwing his head back with a dramatic moan. "Why are you stho mean to meeeee?"

"Hey, someone's gotta keep you in line," Hiccup shrugged with a triumphant grin. "Without me around you'd probably be in jail or somethin'."

"_Jail? _No way! Jail'sth for people who get _caught_. I'm _way_ too sthtealthy for that."

"Yeah, I'm _so _sure."

* * *

**June 23****rd**

**Astrid's Pool Party**

* * *

As soon as North gave them the okay, the boys hopped out of the car with their towels and (after Jack gave the old man a quick hug he only _thought_ Henrik hadn't seen) ran for the front door.

Henrik stumbled a bit as he got out of the car, nearly falling onto the lawn as his knee locked up in a jolt of pain. Luckily, Jack caught him and helped him up. The younger boy wiggled his leg and bent his knee carefully, giving it a moment to recover before they headed inside. The older _insisted_ that Henrik was the one to knock (something about it being "histh girlfriend anywaysth"), so he curled his fingers into a fist and prudently tapped his knuckles against the wooden door. They exchanged smiles before it finally cracked open, revealing Astrid with an eager grin and a long, loose t-shirt. Her braid wetly swung with the bounce in her step, bangs dripping across her forehead. Judging by the darker spots on her shirt (around the center of her... Er... "Chest" and hips) she must have already gone in the pool. Behind her, a few deeper voices sniggered and a sneered. Instinctively, Henrik shrank back into Jack. The older boy just patted his head and turned to the blonde in the doorway.

She smiled at them widely. "Henrik! Jack! It's about _time_ you two showed up. The guys are driving me _nuts_ back there!" She yelled the last bit, and a male voice protested distantly. She turned away for a minute to yell at someone. With a weary sigh, she pointed to a wide-open door behind her, where Henrik could barely make out a few tall figures running and (assumedly) screaming. "The gang's already here, pool's in the back if you wanna jump in.

With her informal invitation, Astrid held open the door with a loud creak and Jack grinned. "Cool!" He exclaimed, hurrying inside.

Astrid caught him with her arm, giving him a strange but observing eye. She raised an eyebrow and poked at his cheek. "Whoa, whoa how long have you had _braces, _Overland_?_"

Jack groaned, swatting away her finger. Henrik sniggered; it seemed like the older boy was upset she'd noticed. Crossing his arms, he muttered back, "My uh… my _Dad _dragged me to the dentisth and they sthuck 'em on."

"Wow. Sucks to be you."

"No kidding," he grumbled, letting his shoulders slump.

"Heh. You look like a dweeb."

The older boy fumbled for a clever comeback. After sputtering for a moment, he settled on a loud "_You're _a dweeb!" and stormed off, presumably toward the pool in the back.

Henrik stepped inside once he was gone, and as Astrid closed the door she turned to him with a smile. "Wow. Comeback of the year, much?"

"Ignore him," he smiled back, awkwardly rubbing at the back of his neck. "Jack's just pissy 'cause he's got a metal mouth."

"I could tell," Astrid laughed. "What's he need braces for anyways? His teeth didn't look that bad to me."

The brunet shrugged. "Beats the heck out of me… I guess they grew in a little crooked and his dentist didn't like it or something."

"Maybe… So, how've _you_ been since the big school break?" The blonde girl asked, nudging his arm playfully. "Burn any more buildings since you got out?"

"Oh yeah. It's been _crazy. _You know how it is, arson parties and what not." He nonchalantly shrugged, biting back the smile that came from Astrid's amused laughter. "Things have been… eh. Kinda slow. Honestly I spent most of yesterday sleeping."

"Sounds exciting," she sniggered. "I've been out like a light for the last two days too, so… ya' know. Can't say I don't blame you for catching upon sleep."

He smiled at her, silently affirming her statement. They stood quietly together for a moment, glancing at each other on occasion before the blonde snapped her head up attentively, as if she'd just remembered something _absolutely _important. She gestured toward an archway on the left of the room and strolled toward it. Assuming he was supposed to follow her, Henrik hurried after her.

And as he stepped into the kitchen, Henrik caught a glance at Astrid's father.

He was definitely smaller than Bertha (a twig in comparison, really), with lanky but muscular arms that were _definitely _the result of vigorous exercise. The man was tall, with shorter blonde hair and blue eyes full of intention (similar to Astrid's, at a second glance). He wore a plain green t-shirt and a pair of blue jeans; they were faded at the knee and stained black in small splotches. Henrik mentally sighed with relief; he somehow thought Astrid's Dad would be more… well, physically intimidating than this guy. Not to say he wasn't intimidated by him at all, of course, but… well, he definitely wasn't the guy he was expecting to meet.

His girlfriend waved at him, catching his attention. He pulled out an earphone and turned to her with a smile. "Hey Dad. Got someone you _might _wanna meet."

"Alright then," Mr. Hofferson looked over at the freckled preteen with a friendly smile. He wiped his hands on a nearby dish rag and popped the other ear phone out, stuffing it into his pocket.

Astrid gestured toward Henrik with both arms. "Dad, this is Henrik. Henrik, my Dad."

The brunet held out a hand politely. "It's nice to meet you, sir."

"Nice to meet you too, Henrik," he shook his hand and chuckled. "So, which one of her buddies are you? Football? Lacrosse? Field Hockey? Oh jeez… You're not _another_ trouble maker, are you?"

Henrik smiled nervously, shaking his head. "No sir. No trouble for me."

"No, huh?" Mr. Hofferson laughed, turning to his daughter. "I like this one, Astrid. He calls me _sir _and looks me in the eyes when he's lying."

She scoffed. "_Dad_."

"I'm just joking with you. You seem like a good kid, Henrik. Name kinda rings a bell, too…"

The blonde nodded, as if to affirm his statement. "Well… probably. Mom might have mentioned that I… kinda have a boyfriend?"

Mr. Hofferson searched her face for some sort of meaning to the comment before his expression turned, smile twisting darkly. He scanned his eyes over the boy, mentally judging him. "Oh. Right. He's _that _boy."

Holy _crap. _If Murder had a face, it would be Astrid's Dad. Seriously, though; even though he hadn't even _done _anything wrong, Henrik felt guilty.

Astrid nodded, putting a hand on the quivering boy's shoulder. "Yeah. We've been going out since January."

"Why did no one tell me this?!" he groaned, smacking his forehead with his hand. "You 'oughta bring him home more often. I'm sure Henrik and I have uh… _lots _to talk about."

Oh gods he didn't want _any _part in that conversation.

"So… _Henrik,_" he clicked his tongue, folding his arms over his chest. Something about the way he kept saying the boy's name made his hands shake and his thoughts race with anxiety. "What uh… what are your grades?"

What kind of a question was _that? _Thinking back to his last report card, the brunet recalled the rows of grades."Um… A-A's mostly."

"I'm _so _sure. When was your last detention?"

Astrid rolled her eyes, clearing her throat. "_Dad. _Seriously."

"Hey, hey, these are important questions," he reassured, raising a hand defensively. "Gotta get a good idea who my daughter's…" he took a moment to take a breath and gritted out, "_Boyfriend _is."

Henrik stammered. "I-I've never h-had a detention."

"You're not a very good liar," Mr. Hofferson teased, eyeballing him intensely. He opened his mouth to make another comment but quickly shut up when he heard Jack yelling loudly in the distance. He poked his head around the corner (Astrid and Henrik followed his lead) and looked into the pool area, spotting the brace-faced idiot howling as one of the older boys smacked him in the butt with a rolled up towel. The younger (and smaller, I might add) of the group plucked his own towel out of his backpack and retaliated, viciously returning the blow to the behemoth of a boy's face. It must have _really _made him angry, since he stumbled back and snapped his towel into Jack's arm again.

Mr. Hofferson narrowed his eyes, turning to Henrik with a quizzical glare. "Weren't _you _the one who brought _that _one?"

Of course. Of _course _he was trying to make an impression on Astrid's Dad and Jack was being an _idiot._

Henrik bowed his head in shame. "Er… yeah. Sorry. He's uh… he's my neighbor."

"Right…" the man nodded doubtfully, pointing his middle and index finger at his eyes, then back at Henrik. "I've got my eye on you."

_Nothing _about that sounded pleasant at all. The brunet made a weak two-fingered salute with his fingers, smiling nervously. "G-Got it."

"You two have fun, then," he turned his back to them, returning to whatever he had been doing on the counter. He quickly snapped his head back though, giving Henrik one last dirty look. "But not _too _much fun! Got it?"

Both of them gave a stuttering "_Yes" _and strolled off, leaving Astrid's Dad to angrily glare at the freckled brunet as they left. Astrid gestured to the open doorway, so Henrik stepped toward it. His legs quivered a bit (a slight twinge of pain in his stump that felt more like someone pinching him) so he stood with his shoulders slumped and let his muscles relax after tensing in the presence of Astrid's father. His girlfriend put a hand on his back and soothingly patted it, lowering her eyes to the floor.

"Er… sorry about my Dad," she shyly apologized, brushing her bangs out of her eyes with the other hand. "Just ignore him. He's totally nuts."

"I-It's alright," Henrik reassured, rubbing at the back of his neck. "I-It wasn't that bad."

"So you're saying he _didn't _make you nervous?"

"Pft. I-I wasn't even nervous, are you kidding? Who's… who's _nervous_? Ha-ha."

She raised an eyebrow, sniggering under her breath.

"…okay honestly I peed a little." He joked, thankful the blonde burst into laughter at the comment. "I'm serious! No offense or anything, but your Dad kinda _really _scares me."

"It's fine, it's fine, none taken," she waved her hand as if to brush off the comment. "I know my Dad's a total psycho. Him and Mom are both _nuts._"

"Your Mom's not that bad."

"No, she _really _is," Astrid groaned, rubbing at her temples with visible annoyance. "They're kinda over-protective, I guess. Crazy, but they mean well."

"That makes sense, I guess," Henrik nodded in affirmation. He took a deep breath and sighed, smiling at her crookedly. "My Dad's kinda the same way. I-I mean, not with like… dating or anything but uh… he doesn't let me go outside when it snows cause I could slip and hurt my leg and… that… has… nothing to do with what we're talking about does it?"

The blonde giggled, patting the top of his head. "Not really."

"Sorrrryyyyyy…" he groaned, letting his forehead fall into his hand.

"Relax, okay?" Astrid reassured. "Come on. Pool's through this door."

"Alright."

She gestured toward the open pair of slider doors, and the two of them stepped inside. He'd never been in an indoor pool before, so the greenhouse-windowed walls and rows of lawn chairs amazed him. Towels littered the chairs and floors, clustering with shoes and backpacks by a small table. There were pool toys in a basket that had spilled (from everyone grabbing things he'd assumed) and a few floaties drifting about the water; particularly a large inner tube bumping into some poor kid's head that he had to punch back to the other side. In the pool were a couple of rather tall, larger boys rough-housing in the deep end and a cluster of rather pretty girls chatting by the shallow steps. Sure enough, he spotted Jack across the pool—that metal mouthed _idiot_—instigating what looked like an oversized 9th grader into "sthowin' him what he'sth made of" by the edge of the 6ft end. The brunet choked back a laugh at the look on the older kid's face.

Wow. They'd hardly even been there for _five minutes _and he was already making enemies. Somehow, Henrik didn't find it surprising at all.

A few of the girls took cover from the splash (despite it being a good distance away from them) and glanced over at the two of them. A cluster of lips curved into smiles, and one girl called to Astrid, "Well, well—look who decided to come back!"

Another caught Henrik's eyes and cooed, "Oh~ who's your friend?"

Astrid used his shoulder as an arm rest (with a bit of difficulty, so he shrunk down a bit) and smiled. "This is Henrik. He's my boyfriend."

He waved awkwardly and repeated, "I'm the boyfriend."

A few of them giggled at his quip, while the others stared at him blankly. Another blonde girl with scraggly, wet hair commented, "Dude he's friggin' scrawny."

Why did _everyone _keep saying that? Henrik was pretty tall and… well, skinny but not _that _small!

"Well, yeah; he's not exactly an athlete is _that's _what you mean." Astrid shrugged, elbowing her boyfriend's arm playfully. "No offense."

"There's… no real way I _could _take offense from that. Sports aren't really my uh… my _thing, _I guess." He sniggered, inching away to put his backpack down. He plopped the bag onto a nearby lawn chair, unzipping it to tug out his towel. In retrospect, Henrik probably shouldn't have used his raggedy school backpack to carry his things (the straps were ready to snap and the bottom was wearing down with the scuffs and scrapes from throwing it around) but he decided to ignore it. Hey, worse come to worse he could duct-tape it back at home, right?

Henrik sighed, tugging off his sandal before returning to Astrid's side. She gave him a quick smile before grabbing carefully stepping down the stairs into the water, glancing back at him as if to ask for him to follow. Taking a moment to consider how the heck he was even going to swim with _one _leg, he sheepishly grinned at her and sat at the edge, letting one leg sink into the refreshingly cool water while he peeled off the prosthetic. He slumped further down, letting the end of his stump grace the waving surface and sighed at the cool sensation. Astrid peeked at him from over her shoulder and double-taked, as if she'd forgotten he couldn't come in the pool. She swam over and leaned against the wall beside him, bowing her head. "Sorry about that."

He shrugged. "No worries."

"You really can't swim with the stump, huh?"

Henrik chuckled, kicking his bad leg in the water. "You ever try swimming with one leg?"

"Can't say I have."

"Exactly," he nodded. "I mean, I haven't either, but I'd rather not drown on the first try."

Astrid sniggered, reaching up to nudge his arm playfully. He actually took the blow rather well this time around. Looking around, he noticed all of her friends off on opposite ends of the pool fooling around. The girls by the stairs had migrated to _slightly _deeper water (by about half a foot, really; they were all still clustered in the middle of the pool talking) while the boys in the other end were still splashing each other mercilessly and throwing people in. Fortunately for Henrik, an instigating Jack was one of those people and he sniggered shamelessly when one of the 9th graders plucked him off the chair he was boasting from and tossed him into the 5 foot water. He resurfaced with a wide, playful smile and taunted, "_WHAT, ITH THAT ALL YOU GOT?_" The same kid came charging after him and he swam hurriedly to the other side. Even Astrid laughed.

A voice called for her to come get the door, so Astrid scoffed and gave him a pat on the knee before she hurried out of the pool and tug on her t-shirt again. Henrik watched her hurry to the front door, braid swishing wetly along her back with every bounce in her step. He could vaguely hear her greeting someone, voice unusually higher in pitch (maybe she was excited?); a lower voice cheered back, cracking awkwardly at some notes before the thump of footsteps echoed through the living room. Three figures strolled into the room casually, the matching faces behind his girlfriend immediately clicking in Henrik's head when he registered who they belonged to. The boys across the room all cheered when the three of them arrive, and Jack loudly called out, "WELL LOOK WHO IT ITH" from across the water.

The sandy blond stepped forward from behind Astrid, an incredulous gape to his expression. "Oh _gross,_" he groaned, shaking his head at the brunet. "What's Overland doing here?"

Jack climbed out of the pool at the jab, immediately running over (nearly slipping along the sides in the process). "What am _I _doing here?" he scoffed, turning to Astrid with a finger pointed at the taller male. "What'sth _Tuffnut _doing here?"

She sniggered, _clearly _amused at Jack's disbelief. "I called his parents and asked if they could drive down to hang out and well… ta-da."

Ruffnut popped out from behind him, waving unenthusiastically. "Ta-da."

Tuffnut only seemed to smile at Jack's previous comment. "Who invited _you?_"

"Asthtrid did," he boasted, folding his arms. "You got a lotta nerve sthowin' your fathe."

The sandy blond burst into laughter, pointing to the brunet's mouth with amusement. "No way. You got _braces?!_"

Jack's shoulders sank and he rolled his head back with a groan. "Yeeaahhhh… Stho what?"

"HA! Overland's a _brathe fathe_," he mocked, jabbing him in the cheek with his finger. Jack tried to chomp down on it when it came near his mouth and Tuffnut yelped at such a pitch Henrik almost mistook him for a girl. "OW! HEY QUIT TRYIN' TO BITE ME!"

He crossed his arms triumphantly and raised his chin. "Don't mock the metal mouth; I'll sthcrew you up!"

Henrik sniggered from the side lines, shaking his head at his best friend's dorky behavior from his seat on the ledge. Sometimes he _seriously _questioned the idiot's age.

Most of the pool party was spent on the ledge chatting with some of Astrid's friends, and—after _much _pleading from Jack to come in on a floaty—clinging limply to a pool noodle as he kicked his uneven legs around in the water. It felt sort of nice floating around in the water for once, after spending so long unable to do much with his leg situation. Astrid floated alongside him and the two of them bantered about nothing in particular, before Tuffnut came _charging _from the ledge of the pool to do a belly-flop _right _next to Henrik. The waves swished him further towards the deep end, so his girlfriend apologized for the blond and (after viciously dunking his head under water in a fluid push) tugged him back to the stairs, where he decided to sit for a while.

His leg stung when he bumped it or someone brushed it with their own; if he tapped his calf against the side even slightly a jolt of pain zapped all the way up. It wasn't particularly bad enough to make him cry or cringe or anything like that, but it was certainly meddlesome, especially when Mr. Hofferson called for everyone to come get food (hamburgers and hotdogs, what a surprise) and everyone rushed inside, sliding across the wood floors with messy squeaks. Henrik patted his stump dry and carefully slid on his prosthetic, taking care with each step and favoring his bad leg as every jolt of pressure against the end stung dully. As if the pain in his leg weren't distracting enough, he went inside to get a hot dog and for whatever reason Mr. Hofferson stabbed his with a fork before handing it to him. He didn't really want to think too much about what that meant, so he followed Astrid out of the room and tried to pretend he couldn't feel her father glaring daggers at him.

A few hamburgers later and after talking for a half hour while the food settled ushered everyone into the pool; the boys hopped into the deep end with fierce, almost Viking-like war cries (Jack included, though it squeaked and cracked with his voice perfectly) while the girls (Ruffnut excluded, since she hopped into the deep end with her brother) piled onto the steps again. Eventually, one of the taller boys in the inner tube slipped through the hole (it was pretty funny really; his arms and legs nearly got stuck on the way out!) and Astrid claimed it for herself, motioning for Henrik to hop in with her. At first it didn't seem big enough to fit both of them (Astrid tried to jump in a few times but slid off because her belly was wet) but eventually they awkwardly wiggled in, bumping into each other until they could finally get comfortable. Henrik tried to ignore how embarrassingly _close _she was, while the blonde didn't seem to think much of it; in fact it seemed like she scooted even _closer _(if that was even possible) and smiled up at him sheepishly. The two of them floated around in the pool peacefully, occasionally bumping into boys who pushed them off and sent them sailing to the other side of the pool like a stricken tennis ball soaring across a court.

And looking over at Jack in the deep end, Henrik found himself smiling.

The idiot was picking fights with 8th graders that had to be _twice_ his size, splashing a few of them in the face when they lunged at him (Sheesh, he really needed to learn how to pick his battles) and hastily climbing out of the pool when one of them got a pool noodle to hit him with. Sure enough, Tuffnut followed him out and they exchanged looks before belly-flopping into the water—no less than 2 inches away from some monster-sized 9th grader who looked like he was ready to drown both of them. It made the young brunet laugh, really, how Jack seemed to think he was _absolutely_ invincible. He challenged a few of Astrid's friends that could probably step on him (if they tried, that is) without flinching and didn't quit when they threw threats at him. Of course, his stupidity was nothing admirable but Henrik had to hand it to him—Jack was pretty brave.

It crossed his mind that maybe his friend was more concerned with getting some fun out of it than his well-being; he'd seen him smack his arm or back into the side of the pool but brush it off to go play with the other boys. He imagined it wasn't particularly the greatest feeling in the world, and it sort of amused him that he was so insistent on ignoring pain. Jack could be missing a thumb and probably wouldn't notice it's gone until someone challenged him to a thumb-war. The idiot. Still, though, Jack was an interesting guy. He had a bad habit of getting into trouble, but other than a few behavioral blunders he was a genuinely nice kid. Stupid beyond belief?

Absolutely. But nice despite his behavior.

"…nrik?"

He blinked a few times and returned his attention to his girlfriend beside him. "Huh?"

Astrid sniggered, glancing at Jack and then back at him with a grin. "You spacing out?"

"Err… Kinda. Sorry."

"Hey, no worries," the blonde sighed, nudging his arm with her elbow. Henrik felt his heart leap when she leaned over in the tube to rest her head on his shoulder. "…he _does_ know they're probably gonna beat him up, right?"

It took the brunet a moment to register that she was talking about Jack, who was currently shoving some other guy around with Tuffnut. After a few snarky comebacks from the boy, two of them plucked him and tossed him into the deep end with a loud splash. Henrik laughed as he surfaced and yelled back, "HEY NO FAIR!"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure he knows," the younger chuckled, craning his neck to rest against Astrid's head. "He just doesn't care."

"Not too bright, is he?"

"A raging idiot," he sighed, watching his friend climb out of the pool to jump in again. "But he's alright."

Astrid shifted her head to look up at him, a smile on her face. "You two are pretty close, huh?"

"Yeah," a smile of his own tugged at his lips. "He's my best friend."

Astrid opened her mouth to say something but ended up yelling as the inner tube tipped over and plunged the two of them into the water. Henrik thrashed his arms to resurface his head and glanced over to see his girlfriend swimming toward him. They made their way to the edge of the pool, and (with Astrid's help climbed out to sit in the edge.

She whipped around and crossed her arms, eyes like daggers at the others. Man, Henrik felt lucky to not be a victim to _that_ glare. "Alright, guys. Who tipped us?"

The boys all looked at Jack and Tuffnut, who were floating toward the edge of the pool. Jack pointed at Tuffnut while Tuffnut pointed back at him.

Astrid's solution? She picked up a pool noodle and beat _both_ of them with it.

* * *

June was a month of unwinding.

It was catching up on all the sleep they'd lost during school, and Hiccup climbing across the rooftops at two in the afternoon to find Jack _sound-asleep _in a messy pile of blankets. Sometimes it was meeting Astrid at the park or the mall just to hang out, and putting up with his best friend's constant poking and snarky comments about it. It was Emma nagging her older brother as she covered his bloody bug bites with Band-Aids, and every annoyed "Ugh okay I know" that followed her lectures. It was listening them bicker and scream about the _stupidest _things (that could last for hours, unfortunately) until North had to break them up, and realizing how much Emma had grown over the year. The top of her head met Jack's nose; the older boy still towered over her, but she was gaining some height herself. Soon enough, she'd be taller than Hiccup—and he dreaded the thought of being shorter than _both _his friends.

June was wondering—wondering what the future would bring now that they were all-powerful 8th graders, and who they were as people. It was rejoicing that Pitch was gone and Jack wouldn't have to deal with his snarky comments in class anymore. It was over-thinking the things they did and getting letters from their school telling them to "consider who they were" when they started looking at High Schools to attend. Of course, Jack was the one who complained about their school rushing them out without any warning, while Hiccup took it in stride and thought about the prompt on his own. It was a month that passed in spurts of days, some thrown carelessly to the wind as they slept for hours, while others dragged as lazy afternoons on the couch.

* * *

**July 4****th**

**Independence Day**

* * *

The 4th of July was a quiet, cloudy day.

The air was thick and heavy against their skin, dragging down every step they took with a wet weight that clung like glue and sat like lead. Clouds veiled the ethereal blues of the sky with a hefty overcast, painting the sky in an ominous gray that threatened a storm but took no action. The sun shimmered shyly through the clouds, pooling light in humble patches across the yards. Asphalt alleys lay still, devoid of voice or rolling car tires despite the calendar's patriotic occasion. Not a soul wandered the streets or sidewalks, and the distant hum of music echoed over the hills.

Jack didn't go outside that day. He pestered North for some sort of weather forecast (more so if he thought the clouds would clear up by nightfall) and firework times for his own plans. The old man insisted he watched TV or went online to plan for that and tell him what he wants to do later. At that note, Jack flipped on the TV and watched some hurricane documentary until it _finally _went to commercial and the forecast came on. From what he could tell, there was a low chance of rain so the boy hopped on Google to find the nearest firework spot. Unfortunately for him, the closest spot was some tourist-trap amusement park about seven blocks down, and he didn't really feel like sharing a field with gross couples marveling how the fireworks and how much they loved each other. If you think that's silly, you've clearly never been to Burgess's fireworks displays; they were pretty much _every_ couple's lazy excuse for a date.

North offered to drive him up a few blocks to watch from the park, but Emma complained that it was downhill so they wouldn't be able to see the fireworks from there. He promised to take them next year if they could plan ahead of time, and Jack groaned about it in the living room for what must have been an hour. Eventually he resorted to climbing across the rooftops to go bother Hiccup, tapping on his window in his usual set of threes. He crawled through the gap and wished him a happy 4th of July, sneaking in that he wanted to see fireworks but they'd have to plan for it next time; the younger brunet blinked at him and popped an idea into is friend's head. He suggested that the two of them see if they could spot some from the roof, and Jack could have _kissed _him; he was probably _way _more enthusiastic than he should have been, but who cares! They were gonna watch fireworks!

The two of them spent the afternoon watching cartoons and as the sun began to set behind thick, violet clouds the two of them rushed outside.

"I can't believe we never thought of this," Jack groaned, tossing his head back with a roll of his eyes. He dinked himself in the forehead for emphasis, and prided the snigger from Hiccup it earned him. "Years of playing on the rooftops and we never thought of seein' fireworks up here. _Man _we're stupid!"

Hiccup snorted, elbowing him in the arm. "I think you mean _you're _stupid."

"Hicccuppp, why are you so _meaaannn~_" the older boy sang, swatting him in the arm a few times. Hiccup brushed off his assault and he awkwardly laughed it off with a faltering, forced frown. Something about him forcing back that crooked grin on his face was adorable, like he was _so _insistent on being a stick in the mud despite some hidden inner-desire to be just as wild as his best friend. The notion made his tummy twist, and a string of curiosities pop into his head. Realizing he was losing his focus yet _again, _Jack cleared his throat: to break his Hiccup-stupor _and _the newfound silence.

Slow down there, Overland. _Bad_ train of thought.

Pursing his lips, the younger looked up at the sky and furrowed his eyebrows. "Don't you think it's a little too cloudy for fireworks?"

"Don't be a downer—"

"Dude, I'm serious!" He peeked at Jack from the corner of his darting green eyes. "Are we even gonna _see_ them with all the clouds?"

The thought hadn't occurred to Jack. The overcast had been lingering above them all day, shrouding the sky in a dreary white hue that looked like someone poured too much white on a blue canvas. Dark splotches of gray outlined a few of the clouds and cloaked one with a thick, ashy veil that was drawing near ever-so-quickly. The older brunet's eyebrows furrowed with annoyance. He could hardly see any of the aerial azures behind all the clouds, and Hiccup had a point; how were they supposed to see the fireworks in the park if they couldn't even see the sky? Welp. There went his super amazing 4th of July plan, jumping _right _off the roof and splatting into the yard.

"_AW MAN,_" Jack vocally groaned, rolling his head back with an irritated huff. "They probably postponed 'em!"

Hiccup put a hand on his shoulder, and he tried to ignore the leap in his stomach from the action. He sniggered but soothed his friend. "Sorry, Jack. It would've been cool if we saw 'em, though."

"You're tellin' me…" he slumped his shoulders and let his body fall, his back colliding with the rooftop with a quiet _thunk. _Something cracked somewhere, but—due to a lack of pain, as far as he was aware of—he passed it off as nothing and paid no mind to it. He grinned when his best friend followed his lead, lying back next to him with his hands curled over his chest. Jack folded his own behind his head as a make-shift pillow. "Oh well… There's nothing wrong with the two of us just hanging out for Independence Day, right?"

Hiccup snorted, throwing him such a dead-pan glare that Jack could _already _hear the sarcasm coming from his mouth. "Absolutely, I hate you."

"Yeah right," the older boy teased, raising his chin proudly. "As if you _could _hate me. I'm _way_ too likeable."

He didn't have to look over to see his best friend roll his eyes. Jack fought back a smile at the notion, and felt the lead weight brush the bottom of his belly without landing. He debated saying something, considered ridding himself of that troublesome nausea and the guilt that came from keeping secrets from his friend. I mean… what was the worst that could happen, right? So he says something stupid and Hiccup reacts poorly; Jack was a _master _of laughing his way out of situations. He could easily fabricate some intricate lie to cover his tracks, right? Right.

Taking a deep breath and a moment to calm his nerves, the boy turned his head to look at his friend and quietly mumbled,

"…hey, Hiccup?"

The younger brunet turned to him with a curious glint in his eyes. "Yeah?"

Jack contemplated how he was going to word himself, and taking a deep breath stuttered out, "I…I uh…"

Hiccup stared at him blankly, waiting for a response with impatience. "…what?"

The older boy stuttered, stammering for _something _to say and _some _way to word himself without sounding like a freak. He rubbed at the back of his neck and sputtered, "W-well I uh… I wanted to talk to you about something."

The younger deadpanned, scoffing. "What'd you do and how much trouble are you in?"

"None, surprisingly," Jack countered. "Sheesh, why does _everyone _ask that?!"

"You don't exactly have the best track record, ya' know."

"…yeah, fair enough," he nodded with approval, running his fingers through his hair as if to sooth his racing thoughts. "S-So listen…" he took a deep breath, heart pounding and hands shaking. "L-let's say I-I uh…"

Hiccup raised an eyebrow with concern. "…you okay?"

"Great. _Just_ great… totally awesome, I just… uhhh..."

"You just?"

Half of the flustered sputtered coming out of Jack's mouth weren't even words of the English language. There were like… Jackanese or some unknown gibberish cluster of confessions for the boy. Hiccup didn't seem to get even a lick of it, judging by the amused expression on his face.

"Dude, slow down," he raised a hand. "Just figure out what you wanna say."

The problem wasn't figuring out how to word it anymore, since he knew _exactly _what he wanted to tell him—the problem was _saying _it.

"R-Right. Eh…" Jack shook his head, eyes lowered to the ground below. "L-Listen… uh…"

"Okay. Listening."

Jack hurriedly thought back to every TV show confession he'd ever seen but nothing came to mind. Wonderful. Absolutely _fantastic. _All the cartoons in the world couldn't help him now. "S-So er… l-let's say I k-know this guy—"

"Jack how _dumb_ do you think I am?" Hiccup sniggered, nudging his arm. "You can tell me if something's wrong, ya' know."

"Hiccup would it _kill _you to play along for like, _five _minutes?"

"Actually yes."

Jack furrowed his eyebrows, deadpanning his expression to tell the boy he was _not _amused.

The younger boy sighed, rolling his eyes at his friend's less playful attitude. "Okay, what's on your _friend's_ mind?"

"_Thank _you," the older brunet took a deep breath. Bowing his head and glancing over at him shyly, Jack stammered. "M-My _friend _has this uh… this problem."

"Yeah, I got that."

"He has a uh… a _crush _on his friend."

Hiccup's expression contorted, and eyebrow rising with legitimate interest. "Okay…?"

"And it's sort of _really, _really annoying (I-I mean cause he talks about it like all the time; you know how it is) and he just wants to know if his friend feels the same but he's scared to ask because he doesn't want to ruin things."

The freckled brunet looked _seriously _confused, as if he were skimming through some mental roster of Jack's friend and couldn't quite peg who he was talking about. It sort of bothered Jack just how _dense _he was, completely oblivious to what must have been _blatantly _obvious. He shook his head and stared blankly toward the ground. "Well, maybe your _friend _should just go ask them and find out."

"…No, Hiccup that's my friend's _problem._"

"Maybe if your _friend _didn't overthink so much he'd be able to ask just fine."

Alright, now he was just making low blows on Jack, the jerk. "Maybe my _friend _thinks you're the worst advice-giver ever."

"Well, maybe your _friend_ shouldn't have asked me," Hiccup teased, sticking out his tongue playfully. It was Jack's turn to roll his eyes, shoving his best friend in the arm roughly. The younger staggered a bit, catching himself with his arm as he almost toppled over. "Seriously, though. If there's anything I've learned from… well from _you _it's to just go for things. Even if you think you're gonna fall or screw up miserably."

"…_I _said that?"

"Something like that, yeah."

"…_dang, _I really gotta write this stuff down or something."

"Yeah, and you should _probably _start taking your own advice while you're at it."

"Hey, I _give _good advice; I never said _anything _about taking it."

"So it's _you _who has the crush, huh?"

"Oh sure, _now _you're playing along…"

Hiccup's laughter echoed off the corners, loud and unusually more jubilant than usual. Jack tried to ignore just how adorable it really was, and fought back every thought in his head beginning him to just _say _how he felt already. He bowed his head instead, settling on the silence out of his own cowardice toward speaking up. Staring up at the cloud-ridden sky, Jack let out a long sigh and brushed his bangs out of his face. Silence settled between them, one that wasn't as awkward as usual and instead felt… comfortable, really. Like neither of them really had to say much of anything to enjoy one another's company. It was odd, to be honest, since Jack was used to laughing or roaring loudly around his friend; noise was just an Overland trademark. Yet in an absence of sound, he found himself more relaxed than he'd _ever_ been around his best friend, and he couldn't quite place a reason to it. Deciding that some things are just better enjoyed than explored, he opted not to think about it too much.

It last a good while, before the younger spoke up quietly and tentatively breaking the barrier. "Hey, Jack?"

Jack gave a lazy nod. "Hm?"

There was a brief paused, sitting like a lead weight between them as if Hiccup couldn't quite find the strength to lift it out of the way. It was like he couldn't find a way to word himself, and before he could get a word out his eyes widened a shudder raked up his spine. The boy looked up at the sky with watchful eyes and tensed, his fingers curling into little fists that now sat in his lap. Jack glanced up as well, noting an absence of anything noteable in the sky. He tapped his best friend on the shoulder and quietly asked, "…you okay?"

Hiccup didn't shake his head or nod, just swallowed and sputtered to himself. He bowed his head, shyly peeking over at the blue-eyed boy.

"…can we go inside?"

There was a startling amount of urgency in the request, as if he were calmly beginning rather than asking. It took the older boy a moment to figure out what had turned his friend away from the fireworks so quickly; he searched the sky for any sparks and listened closely-but nothing came. The older brunet blinked, searching his surroundings for a reason until his eyes landed on Hiccup's expression; tense and uneasy, eyes to the ground as if the sky was staring down at him. His teeth tugged at his lower lip, just barely pulling at the plump, pink skin. The corners of them twitched from a grimace and a stationary frown. If Jack hadn't known any better, he'd say the boy was... scared. Terrified, even—but the sky was clear and he couldn't place what would shake him this way.

A distant rumble caught both of their attentions, bringing a shudder down Jack's spine and making Hiccup's shoulders tense. The pieces fell into place in his mind.

"Yeah," Jack nodded, smiling at him reassuringly. He reached for the boy's hand to help him up and ignored the thump in his heart when thunder roared and Hiccup squeezed it tighter. "Come on, let's head in. North should be back in a little while."

Hand in hand, they made their way to the window and Jack helped his trembling friend inside. Fortunately for them, they got in before the rain started-a drizzle for what seemed like a second, but _quickly_ escalated into a downpour. The older preteen carefully shut his window, noting his friend's fearsome expression. It didn't look like he was panicking, but the anxiety was written across his face; wide eyes, balled fists, and tightly pursed lips couldn't lie. For that the older was a definitely grateful, since it gave him time to form some kind of distraction for when the thunder came. Forcing a smile onto his face, Jack groaned dramatically and fought back a smile when it caught Hiccup's attention.

"Can you believe it?" He tossed his head back. "_Man_, the one year we actually try to see fireworks and it _rains_. This sucks! They're probably not even gonna have 'em tonight... Dangit. Nature is so laaammeee..."

Hiccup sniggered, and Jack's lips twitched into a smile naturally. "Y-yeah," the younger affirmed. "It uh... really sucks."

He was stuttering, but that wasn't particularly an anxiety-exclusive habit of his. So... Progress?

"Right? I was so excited!" He sighed dramatically and let his shoulders slump. "I guess there's next year though, huh? We could bring Emma along and go to the park together and watch 'em from there."

"That'd be fun," Hiccup answered shortly, keeping his eyes locked on Jack's as if he were desperate to ignore the oncoming storm. Something in his summer greens dimmed to a dying ivy. "The three of us could watch them from the top of the playground or something."

"Or up a tree!" The older enthused, relieved to get a longer response. "How cool would _that_ be? From up that high it'd be like, a front row seat or somethin'."

The freckled brunet sniggered, cracking a rather pathetic but reassuring smile. "Wouldn't the branches get in the way, though?"

Jack furrowed his eyebrows, realizing he had a point. He jokingly groaned. "Awwww man... I guess the playground _would_ be a better spot."

Hiccup chuckled, and opened his mouth to say something. A flash of light cut him off and his lips quivered, eyes widening in a dreadful anticipation for what followed. Jack grimaced. He _hated_ that look on his face, and he hated knowing that it was only a matter of time before he broke down. It was the worst feeling, really-to know exactly why and when his best friend would crack. With a heavy heart, he swallowed his pride and awkwardly stepped forward, cupping his hands over Hiccup's ears with care. The boy seemed initially surprised at the action, but bowed his head and balled his fingers into fists anyways. When the thunder came, he yelped quietly and tensed his muscles, biting down on his lower lip as if he were desperate to drown out his cries.

Jack uncovered his ears and motioned for him to come sit on the bed. The two of them sat on the mattress, Hiccup's leg and prosthetic crossed and folded under him and Jack with his knees tucked into a kneel. Neither of them said a word, but exchange glances—one in search of permission and comfort, and the other willing to provide it. With a bow of his head, Hiccup wrapped his arms around the older boy's chest and buried his face in his shoulder, legs splayed beneath him so the sheath of his prosthetic bumped the older's knee. Jack held him tightly, arms carefully wrapping around him and tugging him as close as he could manage. It crossed his mind that he could have hurt his back, but the younger hardly seemed fazed. Instead, he moved into the embrace.

The sky roared, and Jack held onto Hiccup. He stroked his hair and softly reassured him that things would be alright—that every storm _had_ to pass and that the noise couldn't hurt him here (and Jack would hit back if it so much as _tried_). He reminded him that he was there, and Hiccup couldn't thank him enough for that. As the roaring died to a distant crackle, Jack noticed the younger's eyes lowered and locked on his prosthetic. He seemed fixated on it, staring at it with shuddering breaths and startled gasps. The bright greens had dimmed to a dull jade, dark and lifeless. The sight tugged at Jack's heart strings; the shade reminded him of Hiccup's time in the hospital-lost and lifeless, devoid of their usual curious glaze. He pursed his lips and reached for his brown, fleece throw.

Draping it over Hiccup's lap, Jack tugged him as close as he could manage, running a hand up and down his spine carefully. He buried his face in his hair, and for once he didn't find it so odd when his lips brushed his scalp or he squeezed him close. Something about it was... nice, oddly enough (circumstances notwithstanding, since Hiccup's fears were nothing to be enjoyed). Just holding him was something warm and unusually pleasant, something that made his entire body go lax with comfort despite his heart hammering against his ribs.

"It's alright," he reassured, smiling to himself when the freckled brunet wiggled closer into his arms. "It'll pass soon, 'kay? Just... hang on a little longer."

Hiccup nodded against him, murmuring a quiet and shaky, "Sorry…"

Jack hesitantly let his lips press against the boy's forehead, taking care not to give it too much pressure. When Hiccup didn't seem to protest the action, he gulped and pulled him closer. "Don't be sorry, stupid," he chuckled nervously. "It's fine to be scared."

Hiccup shifted a bit, straightening his back so he could bury his face in Jack's shoulder. The older boy matched his movements and tugged him close, holding on to him tightly and securely. He whispered words of comfort when lightning flashed and Hiccup tensed, running a hand through his hair carefully (and ignoring how weird the action really was in his head). And even when the noise died down and the flashes of lightning distanced, the brunet held on tightly to his friend. The rain stopped sometime around ten, and by the time Jack had noticed it the boy had already fallen asleep.

The 4th of July was comfort and fear. It was finding and faltering for courage, embarrassing embraces, and falling asleep on Jack's bed without meaning to, and praying for sunshine in his dreams. It was both of them waking up embarrassed and flustered, with Jack's cheeks painted a bright red and Hiccup repeatedly apologizing. It became a pact between the two of them not to say anything; a promise of silence and company. It was a lingering feeling in Hiccup's belly when Jack was too close, an unusual stirring he'd probably end up missing if he hadn't been paying attention.

There weren't any fireworks that night, but Hiccup didn't care—because Jack was safety, and that was all that mattered.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Next chapter starts a mini-arc (moving right along here~) that'll probably last about like… two chapters? Two, I think—three if I split it later. But yay this one was longer than the last few (they've been a solid 6,000 each and that displeases me). See you next update~ Thank you as always~


	29. The Downed Dragon

**Author's Note: **Guess who missed her mental deadline again? Ay yi, yi… Sorry about that. This is a few days overdue! I don't do enough with Toothless, do I? Well, welcome to the obligatory Toothless arc, ladies and germs. This will most likely end up being a two-parter rather than an arc (I just like calling things arcs; it sounds so structurally fancy, ya' know?) that is centric to Hiccup and Toothless. Solely because I _really _don't do enough with the two of them and Toothless is a _really _important figure in Hiccup's life and character (movie wise, _and _story wise) and that is seriously not cool. The title is _actually _from the How to Train Your Dragon soundtrack (when he finds Toothless in the caltrops; I feel clever), and it has no lyrics so it can be as relevant as I need it to be. Mwah ha ha.

**Basic Overview: **Hiccup is having a hard time falling back into the swing of things, and his list of troubles is only increasing.

**Point of View: **3rd person: Hiccup/Jack

**Warnings: **Minor panic attack

**Age Reminder: **Jack is 13 (8th grade); Hiccup is 12 (8th grade); Emma is 11 (6h grade)

****Note: **I'll be going back to fix their ages within the next few days, so if this looks wrong, well… that's what I'm doing. Math errors I need to fix and what not.******

* * *

**Chapter 29: **The Downed Dragon

**September 23****rd**

* * *

It's funny, really, how seldom September brings joy.

Freedom and the pleasant warmth of summer cringed as August rolled in, the Sunday of months itself announcing its grand interest with "Back to School" sale commercials on TV. It was a bitter reminder of the boys' last year in Burgess Middle School, with every towering row of red x's bringing a growing dread as weeks flew by like seconds and days gradually dimmed to 7:30 dusks and 6:50 dawns. The idea of returning to classes and riding the bus at what looked like night was certainly a dreadful one; but the conquest of August proved to be a celebratory occasion as well. Little had they known they would be mighty 8th graders as they walked through the doors and marched across the linoleum, a class of survivors to the horrors of middle school. Since… well, it was honestly and truly an awkward point in their lives—full of squeaky voices and the increasing amount of awkward stares Jack got during classes from his female classmates—but a necessary rung on the ladder of their individual stories.

August was the month of dread, full of tedious school shopping with North and the gradual graces of amber on the trees. It was debriefing Emma on the confusions of 6th grade, and Jack having to subtly explain that she was going to have to sit through a few "awkward videos" (his words, verbatim) without _actually _telling her about them (mostly out of his own embarrassment at recalling the 45 minutes of torture called health class). The wind rolled in colder as the morning chills grew unreasonably cold; August was the month of indecisive weather patterns, so you could wear a sweater in the morning with a rippling shiver but ache with crippling heat by noon. Naturally, this was frustrating for Henrik as it gave him an excuse to wear sweaters for only about four glorious hours, and have to roll up his jeans by the time the bell rang at 2:45. Next door, Jack rejoiced that it was allegedly "hoodie season" and (despite the wet grass in the morning and the sudden drop in temperature) hopped around in the yard without his shoes on. Was this a surprise? Not really, considering this it's _Jack _we're talking about.

September came in the blink of an eye. It forced a 10pm bedtime on the neighboring households (that in reality, no one abided) and a 6am wake-up call unto the preteens, ushering in Emma's entrance to Burgess Middle School. She rose beside her brother at sunrise and groggily groaned as she wobbled into the kitchen, hair a scraggly mess of auburn tangles on her head. Jack sniggered as she complained about waking up early. He slinked an arm around her shoulder and promised to help her around school if she needed anything with a kiss to her forehead. They gobbled down two bowls of Cookie Crisp and hurried outside.

The first day of 8th grade was boasting.

It was proudly marching room to room as a member of school's top class, and showing off his shiny blue braces to Leon at lunchtime. It was moaning irritably when he failed to make a comment. It was bickering with Emma about which way her Math class was, complaining when the girl ended up being right and stomping off to his own Math class when she skipped down the hall. It was Leon constantly shaking his head with a smug little grin when Jack asked him to "just say something already, gosh darnit!"

September passed with hard work and homework. The boys managed to stay up-to-speed with their classes, and even Jack made an effort to get his work done on time. Of course, it helped that Emma nagged him about it at every opportunity she could, but at least he got it done. The first few weeks passed, and by the 20th things had fallen into their usual sway. Jack sprinted down the halls to get to his classes (after spending most of the time talking to his peers by the locker), while Henrik wobbled room to room with no problems. His legs consistently pulsed with a sharp, stabbing pain at the strangest of times, so by the 20th he and the nurse knew each other by name—most of the time his teachers had no idea what to do when he claimed his leg hurt; instinct must've said "just send him to the nurse", which got him and one lucky classmate out of working.

It was a rainy September, with a down pour coming at the most random of times. On the 19th, the morning looked sunny. Beams of a radiant blue sky poured through the windows and illuminated the classrooms, shining along the linoleum in geometric glimmers. The school was pleasantly warm for about two periods, until Henrik strolled into the Library with Jack and just outside the windows they could hardly make out the back of the school from the falling wall of rain that came. Suffice to say, recess was indoors that afternoon, and Jack had to sneak out of his assigned classroom to go find his best friend. Leon even tagged along, quietly following the mischievous brunet into Henrik's room with a guilty lowering of his eyes. The room's recess aid ended up catching both of them, and—while Leon got out with a warning (since he was _such _an angel, apparently)—Jack ended up getting sent to the office. North got a call about his "irresponsible stunt" and Henrik could only assume he got scolded for it later. Which really didn't make sense, now that he thought about it; he walked into another room, not robbed a bank!

The 23rd rolled in rather quickly; Henrik woke up to dark skies and thunderstorm warnings on the weather channel. He rolled out of bed (literally; he nearly smacked his forehead against the nightstand in the process) and crawled over to his prosthetic, sliding it on and deciding to himself that he'd get dressed after he ate. As he hobbled down the stairs, he heard Toothless yip and whimper, scratching at the front door for him to let him out. Of course, the crippled brunet wobbled over to the coffee table and grabbed his leash, hooking it onto the ring on his collar to bring him outside. The little warrior pulled him around the yard and did his business, eventually trotting up the front steps and sitting by the door once again until Henrik let him in.

"Yeah, good morning to you too…" he yawned, stretching his arms out. The black dog barked as if to respond. Henrik mocked the call tiredly. "Arrah rah rah rah. Sheesh, someone's awful chatty."

He cracked open the door, and Toothless skipped through the opening, sitting on the floor with a wagging tail as his master leaned down to unclip his leash. The second the metal scraped, the little warrior yipped and hurried into the kitchen. Henrik followed him in and fixed himself a bowl of cereal, gobbling it down quickly. He rubbed at his eyes after carefully placing his bowl in the sink (he'd wash it later; god _dang _he was tired). Toothless stared up at him with wide, green eyes.

The freckled brunet chuckled, leaning down to pat the top of his head. "You think Dad's home?"

His ears went back, head tilting downward in an almost apologetic manner.

"…yeah, I didn't either," Henrik sighed. The notion didn't surprise him by now, since his father had mentioned taking longer shifts at dinner one night, and—he sorrowfully announced—he wouldn't be home as often as he used to be. What exactly that equated to the boy wasn't sure (he was hardly home as it is), but he decided to ignore it. He was used to living with just Toothless or the occasional pop-in from Jack (I use the word occasional very loosely; Jack was pretty much over at every _possible _moment he could be) as his only source of company. Being alone wasn't that big of a deal as he got older.

He glanced at the clock and squinted, just barely making out a bright red 7:10. Realizing that the bus would be there in five minutes, he raced up the stairs (tripping on the top step and crashing into the floor face-first in the process; stupid leg…) and plucked the first thing he could find out of his dresser. It ended up being one of his long-sleeved dragon-shirts and a pair of dark blue jeans (both articles being torn in at least two different places). He tugged on a loose green hoodie and slung his backpack over his right shoulder, cringing when the worn-out fabric hollered and tore from the impact and pull. Remembering the mention of a high thunderstorm warning he'd caught from his alarm clock clicking on the radio, he stuffed his little dragon into the raggedy black bag and sprinted out of his room, zipper still split and slightly open. Toothless watched his master hurry across the living room with a curious glint to his bright green eyes, and yipped when the clumsy brunet hollered back, "Be back in a bit, bud."

Jack must have overslept too, since Henrik stepped onto the porch and could actually _hear _Emma and him bickering from across the yard. The Overland's front door cracked open and the noise flooded out as they stepped onto the porch, as well as a loud "_WOULD YOU TWO QUIT IT ALREADY_" from North, whose Russian accent went booming between the houses as he hollered from the window. Almost immediately, the siblings stopped and called back in unison, "Sorry, North!" (Though his name was muddled with a "Dad" from Emma, much to Henrik's delight). The second he shut his window and disappeared from their line of sight, Jack stuck out his tongue and Emma smacked him in the arm. He yelped and rubbed at the blow, his eyes finally meeting his best friend's neighboring form. He waved lazily with his free hand, grinning lopsidedly at the boy. The bus came at 7:15 as usual, and the three of them filed onto the bus.

* * *

Henrik was having what you might call an uh… a _rough day. _

His leg locked up on his way to Math, resulting in him clumsily collapsing onto the ground and scattering his books all over the floor. A few of his passing classmates glared at him funny, a few of them laughing about how he was "such a freaking klutz" or making a snarky quip such as, "Well, down goes the cripple". Leon was probably the only one who took pity on him and helped him gather his books, pointing down the hall toward the nurse's office as if to ask if he needed to go there. Naturally, the boy gave him a smile and declined the offer, shuffling onto his feet (with a hand from the seemingly mute blond) with a wobble and sharp zap in the stump. He gathered his books into his arms and grit his teeth with each step toward the math room, doing a mental happy dance when he finally reached his desk and was able to sit down. The period ended with the bell, and his leg was complaining, already aching from what would be a long walk to the Library. The good news was that he had Jack in that class and the thought calmed him down when a twinge of panic settled as he stood.

Henrik wobbled into the Library with an ache in his jaw; when he asked, apparently grinding his teeth so much would give him a headache (according to Jack, the alleged "master" of these things), and if he was struggling with an anxiety issue, he needed to find some other way to cope with it. Jack was very understanding to his situation, and offered to carry him to the nurse if he _really _needed him to. The offer meant a lot, and yes, he _did _appreciate that Jack was so worried but he ended up declining it; their peers thought they were weird as it was, and the _last _thing Henrik needed was more rumors floating around the class about the two of them. By the time the period ended, his eyes were locked on the on-and-off rainfall outside the window. There was a lack of lightning, and a comfortable silence in the sky. He was comforted by the lack of storming, and when he strolled to his locker to switch out his books his eyes widened with utter embarrassment when he noted the stuffed dragon had fallen out of his bag.

It was perched on top of his massive stack of books, in such a way that if anyone were to pass by or peek in they'd probably see it. With flushed cheeks and an embarrassing train of thought, Henrik hurriedly scooped it up and (glancing to his sides through his peripherals) gently laid it in the backpack once more. He glanced to his right and jumped out of his skin when he noticed Jack there.

The older boy smiled. "Hey Hiccup~"

"Hi Jack!" Henrik replied, perhaps a _bit _too loudly as he instinctively pulled the locker door closer to him. He chuckled nervously when Jack gave him a funny look, glancing at his backpack and noting how the dragon will still visible in the top pocket. "S-sheesh, did you have to sneak up on me?

Jack blinked, narrowing his eyes a bit at his friend. With a snigger, he countered, " 'course I did." He gestured toward his bad leg with one hand, curling the other around his rather impressive stack of books clutched firmly against his chest. "How's your leg doin'? Any better than before?"

Henrik curled his fingers around the metal door, subtly tugging it closer to his chest as he tapped the metal end against the floor. "Still a little sore. It's sorta in and out."

"Weird," the older boy shrugged, pursing his lips as he rolled between the balls of his feet and his heels. "Well hey, if it gets too bad you should go to the nurse. I bet she'll let you go home early if you ask nice enough."

"Eh… I'd rather not," he sighed, easing his grip on the door. "Dad's busy with work and eh… I'd rather not bug him unless it's an emergency. Plus we have a quiz in Social studies, and I don't wanna have to take it later."

Jack groaned, dramatically tossing his head back. "Aw _man_ I forgot about that! Hic~cup can I borrow your book? I left mine at home."

The last bit came out rather whiny, earning a snigger from the younger brunet. "You didn't bring it?"

"No, I didn't think we'd need it!"

"Jack that's not an excuse."

"Hey, someone told me we were watching a movie today!"

"Yeah, they probably meant _after _the quiz."

"…_well _crap."

Henrik laughed at his friend's clumsy folly, shaking his head from side to side. Without consciously thinking about it, he swung open his locker door and tugged his history book out, immediately regretting it when he noted Jack's eyes fixated on the little black dragon sticking out of his backpack. Great. _Just _great. The younger boy sighed, smacking himself in the forehead for the dumb mistake.

The blue-eyed brunet narrowed his eyes, knocking his knuckles into his friend's shoulder as if to regain his attention. "What uh… what's with the guard-dragon?"

Maybe he could play it off, like Jack did a few times when North came to ask him about his antics around the house?

"…I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Really. So I'm guessing your dragon just kinda flew into your bag, huh?"

"…yes?"

Jack dead-panned. "Hiccup."

Or not.

Henrik handed him his history book and shut his locker with a groan. "Yeah, okay—I brought the dragon to school."

Jack sniggered, elbowing his friend in the arm playfully. "Dude, seriously?"

"Hey, the forecast said there's a chance of thunderstorms today." He defended, tucking the little toy further into his bag. "It... seemed like a good idea at the time."

Jack opened his mouth to say something but stopped himself, settling on a nod and shrug instead. "I guess that makes sense…" he mumbled under his breath.

The older boy closed his friend's locker for him and smiled.

"So~ _you _study for the history quiz? 'cuz I'm completely screwed over."

* * *

The day was long and tedious, classes passing and dragging like hours.

As far as Henrik was concerned, he couldn't wait to go home and (circumstances permitting, of course) take a nap. The idea of popping off his dumb prosthetic to relax was inviting, since his leg had been killing him all day. He could still feel his stump throbbing, swelling with pain and sending electric jolts zapping all the way up his leg—even when he was sitting down. Jack and Leon sat by him on the bleachers during gym; the older brunet continuously asked him if he was okay. Henrik reassured him he was fine and laughed, when Leon _still _wouldn't talk (earning a frustrated "OH COME ON ALREADY" from his friend). The idiot was persistent on getting him to at _least _laugh—so he jabbed him in the sides and wiggled his fingers, earning a muffled squeak from the blond. They swatted each other until the teacher had to pry them apart; Leon and Jack ended up having to run a lap as punishment. They made it back and Jack would _not _stop groaning. Leon quietly gasped for air, joining the brunet when he opted to lie on the floor.

Astrid popped in to make sure he was okay, and gave him a quick hug before darting toward the locker room. That _definitely _put a smile on his face, until the bell rang and Henrik could have _cried _when he had to walk to his locker. Jack and Leon were nice enough to let him lean on their shoulders, and the three of them made their way down the hall. Jack offered to carry him (princess style, as he called it) if his leg was that bad, but Henrik ultimately declined. Of course, the boy's previous protests didn't stop him from tugging him by the arms onto his back when they got off the bus to their stop; literally, he plucked him out of the seat and shuffled him onto his back, forcing the younger to cling to his neck for dear life and complain as they shuffled through the aisle. A few of the girls in the front row giggled, but Jack just threw them a cheeky smile. Henrik hid his face.

He shuffled through the front door (after thanking his friend for the "help" and making sure he got into his house with Emma alright), only to groan when he noted Toothless waiting for him.

He had a leash between his teeth (how he tugged it off the wall hook, the boy would never know) green eyes pleading and wide as he wagged his little tail back and forth. To be frank, the sight was adorable; but at the same time frustrating, since Henrik had _just _gotten back and his leg was still sore. The freckled preteen ran a hand through his hair and sighed, waving the other at the little warrior as if to dismiss him. "Come on, bud; I just got back…" he all but whined, leaning down to tug off his shoe when he noticed how Toothless's ears tilted back. He whimpered, stepping closer with his head bowed.

Okay, this is seriously not fair! How the _heck _was Henrik supposed to argue with that face?

Slumping his shoulders and minding his backpack straps as they fell further down his arms, the brunet sighed. "Can I at _least _put my stuff down?"

Toothless yipped, scurrying toward the door. Tugging the leash out of his mouth, Henrik shook his head with a low chuckle. He clipped his collar onto the end of the leash. "Okay, I guess we're walking first."

* * *

The air was cool against the boy's flushed skin, like a sweet autumn reprieve from his frustrating day.

With Toothless leading him down the road, Henrik wobbled along the sidewalk and watched him scurry around; sniffing just about every single _Stop _sign and bush they passed for no real reason. Sure, he was reluctant to walk the little guy before; but now that he was out of the house, he felt oddly relaxed, limbs lax despite their movement (and the weight of his backpack, which he never really ended up shrugging off like he wanted to) and thoughts a dim slur he could hardly distinguish. It felt nice to get away, to aimlessly stroll down the street with his canine companion and forget about the horrific tower of homework he had to finish up at home. Instead, he was free to let his thoughts wander down unusual paths while Toothless merrily trotted around the worn-down concrete.

Henrik rolled down his sleeves while the little dog inspected a pile of leaves, sighing contently as a cool breeze rolled in and raked Goosebumps down his now cozily warm arms.

Toothless trotted ahead merrily, wagging his tail from side to side with a bounce in each step. Henrik found himself smiling at the sight; at least the little dog was having a good time. Everything was great in his world; the sky was blue and his buddy was home—all was well in the little dog's universe. He sniffed everything he could wiggle his little nose into. As they rounded a corner, Henrik felt his knee lock up. His leg wobbled, knee locked with a sharp knock that felt like someone had smacked it with a board and let him stand with it afterward. Henrik groaned, wiggling the limb but cringing at the increasing pain and the intense, sharpening throbs. Slowing his steps hardly eased the pain and—despite Toothless excitedly parading onward—he stopped in his tracks, leaning down to rub at his knee with his free hand. The leash caught in his other, jerking him a bit as the black fur-ball tried to continue onward.

"H-h-hang on a s—ehhhhhh-sec, bud," he whimpered, shifting in his prosthetic a bit in the hopes a pebble or miniscule interference would fall out. Nothing came, and the ache in his leg sharpened, sparking some horrid throb in his stump that was quickly becoming unbearable. He kicked it, stretched it the way the doctors had taught him but nothing seemed to help; rather, the muscles tightened, constricted, _squeezed _with such force it left him ready to scream in pain.

It didn't feel like a phantom sensation, or any kind of muscle tearing; his leg just hurt, and his mind was unable to register why. Either way, it _really _needed to stop.

"S-S-sorry bud," he apologize to the concerned little dog, gently tugging the least to signal for him to head back. Toothless whimpered, ears tilting back sadly. We go-ah-tta cut your walk short, 'kay?"

He turned, registering a light, sort of plush _ksh _from behind him, but ignoring it as his leg ached and begged for him to stop moving. Toothless perked his ears, tried to walk in the other direction as Henrik wobbled back down the road, toward the house. He pulled at the leash, yipping pathetically and _yanking _as he tried to hurry back. The little dog seemed desperate to slip away, running and barking the other way despite how many times the freckled preteen asked him to stop or tugged at his leash a bit. "Toothlessssss… we gotta go back."

Henrik winced as a particularly sharp pulse in his leg raked an electric wave of pain up and down the limb. He tried to favor the leg, focusing his weight on the right leg. Toothless protested, _insisting _he run in the other direction. He looked up at the boy and let his ears droop, pouting and whimpering. With a wag of his tail, he hopped alongside his master as he wobbled back down the sidewalk. Henrik swallowed the growing lump in his throat, fought back the slight panic settling in the pit of his belly. He reminded himself that he wasn't that far from the house, that he just had to get there and sit down; when he got back, he could call his Dad and tell him about his leg, they could go to the doctor… there was nothing to worry about, he had to remember.

It took him a few minutes and a break or two to get there, nearly stumbling and falling onto the pavement with a few tries.

After what must have been ten minutes (but really, the pain and panic made it feel like an _hour_) of hobbling down the asphalt, he managed to slip through the front door; Toothless immediately ran inside, excitedly scampering around in the kitchen. Henrik groaned, picking up a house phone and trudging up the stairs. He bit back tears, chewing on his bottom lip as he made his way to his room. He shrugged off his backpack, ignoring the loud _thump _that came from doing so. The freckled preteen immediately collapsed onto the bed, hurriedly tugging off his prosthetic with a frustrated whimper. His leg complained, throbbed in protest of movement and he felt every muscle in his body tense from the electric zaps of pain running up and down body. Oh _gods _it hurt, worse than any Charlie-horse or bump against the wall he'd ever gotten.

_Tap, tap, tap. _

Oh gods, Jack couldn't have picked a better time to come and bother him. Sure enough, Henrik turned to the window and spotted his dorky, lop-sided smile and threw him a quick thumbs up as if to say "yeah, it's cool; come in". The older brunet slid through the window, a thick math book full of crumpled papers hugged close to his chest with both arms. He waved lazily with one hand, furrowing his eyebrows as he glanced down at the book.

"Sorry to bug you Hic, but I can_not _get this freaking equation on the homework and it is driving me _nuts _and—" his voice trailed as he brought his eyes up to meet Henrik's. "…hey, are you okay?"

He meant to give a nod and brush it off, but Henrik could feel the lump in his throat settling at the question. His voice cracked pathetically, "P-peachy."

"You sure? Dude, you look like you're gonna cry or something."

Henrik lowered his eyes to his stump, cringing and biting back a whimper as yet another shock rippled through his leg.

Jack followed his eyes and gingerly placed his book on his desk. He softened his previously tense gaze and leisurely strolled over, sitting on the edge of his bed. "Your leg still hurts, huh?"

The younger could only manage a nod. His voice cracked pathetically, "Really, _really _bad."

"Is there something I can like… do to help?"

"Uh…" Henrik wasn't entirely sure of that either. Usually when his leg hurt, he just asked for his Dad to give him an Advil and went on his merry way; now that the pain was about ten times worse than a usual throb, he wasn't sure what to do. "I dunno, can you get me a painkiller?"

"Yeah, no problem!" Jack waved his hand, strolling out of the room for a brief moment. He popped his head in the door again, smiling crookedly. "…Remind me again where they are?"

"Bathroom cabinet."

He threw him a thumbs-up and skipped down the hall, with a rhythmic patting of his feet against the hardwood floor. After a moment (and the distant rattle of him assumedly looking at the different pill bottles), he yelled, "Got it!"

Jack gingerly slipped a small blue Advil into his palm, using the other hand to unscrew the top of his water bottle. He handed it to his friend and smiled thinly. "Here."

"Thanks," Henrik nodded, slipping the pill onto the tip of his tongue and guzzling it down with a mouthful of water. From the corner of his eye, he could see Jack staring at him, watching him with concern and care. It made his lips twitch unconsciously, since the matter was so trivial (well… his leg definitely said otherwise, but ya' know) but he seemed so excessively worried.

"Need anything else?" Jack asked. He kicked his foot back and forth with his head bowed apologetically, like a child waiting for his parent's instruction.

The younger boy shook his head. "No, but thank you."

"Um…" Jack scratched at the back of his head and awkwardly turned his shoulders. "…want me to stick around until your Dad gets back or somethin'? I-I mean, I don't want you mopin' around all by yourself. Especially with your leg being all… weird and stuff."

The notion brought a smile to the boy's lips despite the pain. "Please?" he bowed his head with a pleading, crooked grin. "I mean, if it's okay with you—"

"'course it is!" He reassured with a smile, sitting on the bed's edge. Jack leaned against one arm straightened, the palm supporting his weight against the comforter. His fingers curled into his palm beside Henrik's, nervously curving and unfurling as if he weren't sure what he was doing with them. If Henrik hadn't known any better, he'd say his friend was trying to hold his hand or something but decided against it, simply by observing his body language and the nervous twitch in his lips.

Henrik let his head roll back into his pillow, taking a deep breath through the staggering pain in his left leg. "Actually, can you get my backpack from downstairs, please? I uh… I left my dragon in it."

Jack nodded without a word, hopping down the stairs and (after a loud bark from Toothless, and a few scuffs of his nails against the floor) yelped, shooing the little guard-dog away. The younger brunet laughed in his spot on the bed, stifling his laughter when his best friend returned. He held up the bag by one of the straps, wincing when the _zip_ of a tear echoed through the air. He mouthed a silent "Sorry" and placed it on the end of the bed, rummaging through it. Henrik patiently waited, wiggling his toes and twiddling his thumbs idly. After a few moments, he noted the tense look on the older brunet's face, his eyebrows furrow and a determined frown stretched across his lips. He raised an eyebrow. "Uh… something wrong?"

"You sure you put your dragon in your backpack?" Jack asked, tugging out a few books and gingerly placing them on the floor as he looked into the bag once more.

For a split second, Henrik panicked. "Y…eah, why?"

"I… don't see it in here. The big pocket, right?"

The freckled preteen scooted closer, stretching his back so he could peek inside too. He affirmed with a worried nod, watching Jack rummage through and sift through crumpled papers to find it. They emptied the pocket, literally holding it upside down and letting its fillings fall out; unfortunately, neither of them caught sight of a dragon. They exchanged a worried glance and started unzipping the other pockets, on the off-chance that maybe Henrik remembered his actions wrong, and it was _somehow _in the small, cell-phone sized zip pocket on the side.

"There is _no _way; I _definitely _left it in my backpack," Henrik insisted, unzipping and hurriedly rummaging through his bag. Every empty pocket mocked him, vacantly reminded him the consequence of his lost dragon; he prayed to Odin subconsciously and tugged open the front pocket. His heart sank. Nothing. "Oh _no," _he muttered under his breath, shaking his head from side to side. "No, no, no, no—I _definitely _left it here!"

Henrik could feel the panic settling, rattling his bones and thumping his heart into a hasty ba-bump he was _sure _Jack could hear. For a moment, he felt heavy—guilty, even. Jack must have noticed his dismay, and placed a hand on his shoulder to calm him. He held up the other as if to say _stop_. "Hey, no worries," the older reassured, smiling crookedly as if he was unsure of what he was saying. "There's _gotta _be some kinda explanation to this."

Jack held up his backpack, scanning every stitch and strap carefully like the detectives in the cartoons the two of them watched in the morning. He narrowed his eyes as if squinting would activate some unknown, dragon-seeking vision of his; as his eyes found the bottom of his backpack, they widened significantly, his usually bright blue irises frosting over as his shoulders tensed and his body froze. Henrik gulped. That could _not _be a good sign.

"Uh… Hiccup?"

"What?"

Jack tipped the bag toward him, the zippers clanging upside-down. The freckled brunet's stomach turned. Right on the bottom was a giant, gaping hole in the fabric, a pencil barely tipping out of it (eventually succumbing to gravity's might and falling to the bed sheets) and the once woven strands frayed.

Oh no. No, no, _no_.

The panic came with a single observation. His thoughts spun on edge and the ache in his leg spread, intensified, flourished further up his body until he could feel each pulse in his brain. He could feel the lump in his throat and his hands shaking. Jack's face fell. He plopped the bag on the floor and put a hand on his friend's shoulder soothingly. "Hey, hey, hold on a minute!" the older interjected as if he'd read his thoughts. "You… probably just dropped it on the way in. It could've fallen in the living room while you were wobbling around, right?"

He couldn't quite muster a response, just nodded emptily and stared at Jack's concerned expression.

"So, i-it's probably on the floor somewhere in the living room, or it fell on the porch or in the yard or… I dunno, _something_."

Henrik nodded again. Jack bit his bottom lip, shoulders slumping.

"I'm gonna go check downstairs for you, 'kay? Don't. Move! I mean it!" he patted his friend on the head and rushed down the stairs.

The silence of his room while Jack poked his head out the front door and ran around the living room frantically haunted him. The four corners of his room felt lonesome, devoid of any company—conceptual _or_ physical. The panic pounding his heart against his chest was starting to get to him, acutely reminding him of every dull zap in his bad leg despite the painkiller gradually taking effect. He could feel the weight of dread on his shoulders, could feel the growing guilt in his bones for losing the last piece of his mother he had left. It stung, sharp but somehow stagnant and lingering. Henrik shut his eyes and tried to focus his attention on the sound of Toothless yipping at Jack downstairs (why he hated him so much, the boy would never know) and the muffled complaints he got in response. It reminded him that he wasn't entirely alone, and that so long as _someone _was there he'd be alright, that if anything he still had his friend to lean on and he'd be back in just a second.

Now don't get me wrong; it wasn't that Henrik didn't like being alone. He'd been alone a lot over the past few years, and had grown accustom to the silence of his house, and all the meaningless small-talk between him and his father (with the occasional pop-in while he was doing homework) that came with it. Well… alright, maybe not _completely _alone. Jack had a marvelous habit of barging in or "kidnapping" him in the afternoons, perhaps out of his own boredom or for some obscure reason the younger boy couldn't quite make out. And yeah, Toothless was his house companion; he barked when the mailman came and demanded attention when Henrik was feeling blue. He definitely kept the boy busy, and _man _did he appreciate that. But when it came to the nights and mornings that Dad wasn't there, when Jack was taking care of Emma or off on his own mischievous tirades, when Toothless was dozing off or trotting around in the kitchen, Henrik was fine on his own—he'd _always _been fine on his own. That's just the way he was; self-reliant and independent, with a little stitched guard-dragon to keep watch from his bedpost.

But now that it was gone, that lone remnant of his mother that kept an eye on him while she couldn't, while Jack or Dad or Toothless weren't around… he felt lonely—for only a moment, but it stuck with him, somehow. And it was then he realized _feeling_ alone and _being_ alone were two different things entirely.

Being alone was easy to handle; Henrik was good at keep himself busy, whether that be some form of procrastination (hey, the Language Arts homework gets pretty dry, ya' know) or menial task his father had asked him to do the day before, he was able to keep himself preoccupied. He liked to tinker with an old radio they kept in the living room, toyed with the gears or sometimes just took it apart and put it together again. Of course, it didn't work after dismantling it so many times; trial and error had stripped a few of the bolts and worn down a spring that came out of the battery-compartment (he had a bad habit of pushing it to the floor with his finger and making it bounce up). But something about it was relaxing, in a way. It was something to focus on, if that made any sense. Other days, he worked up the courage to go knock on Jack's window, or tapped on the front door like a normal person would to ask North if he and Emma wanted to hang out. If they weren't home or Jack had gotten in some kind of trouble, he could take Toothless for a walk or read a book with his dragon curled under his arm. No big deal.

But feeling alone was tricky. It was heavy on his heart, weighed him down like walking into the air conditioning after getting _really _wet. It was haunting, in its own way, yet empty at the same time. Henrik didn't like it. It felt like he was sitting in the hospital bed again, staring out the window in the silence with not even a _nurse _for company. And for a split second, he wondered if _that _was the feeling Jack hated so much.

Henrik snapped from his daze as his best friend trudged up the stairs with a delay in each step, as if he were dragging himself back up. He walked into his room with his head bowed apologetically, eyes lowered to the floor and darting up to look at the younger brunet with hesitance. He almost didn't want to ask, but the younger managed out, "Did you find it?"

Jack shook his head gravely.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Wow the last part was over-dramatic. Sorry. Trying to make a point. So does the title make sense now? Sorry for the late update; I had some trouble on this, so I might just end up cutting this into a three-parter instead of just two. Or two, but the next is longer? I'm not sure, but I'll let you know; the hospital arc wasn't meant to be as long as it was, so for all we know this could be a longer arc than I anticipated. Nevertheless, thank you for the reviews and for reading!

**Also, I'm considering a Beta? I'm getting _really _bad about revising.**


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